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The Hindu
6 days ago
- Sport
- The Hindu
Indian think tank in a quandary over whether to play Bumrah or not
Jasprit Bumrah has never played a Test match at Old Trafford, but it's now that India needs him the most. As the team heads to Manchester, trailing 1-2 in the five-match series, the think tank has a tough task at hand as it needs to decide whether to play Bumrah in what could be a series-deciding fixture or follow the workload protocol and keep him fresh for the final game at The Oval. Bumrah has featured in two Tests so far. He bowled 43.4 overs in Leeds and claimed a five-fer in the first innings before being rested in Birmingham, where India clinched a convincing victory, riding on the performances of a young pace attack led by Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep. He returned to Lord's for the third Test and picked up seven wickets — including a five-wicket haul in the first essay — and bowled 43 overs. While the team management has been particular about ensuring that he doesn't bowl longer spells at a stretch, it now faces the biggest challenge. Even though India captain Shubman Gill kept the suspense after the Lord's Test, saying, 'You will get to know soon,' former India fast bowler Irfan Pathan believes that with the series on the line, Bumrah should play in Manchester. 'Every team management wants its best player to feature in every game, but the workload management also depends on the bowler's fitness — whether he is feeling tired or not, whether there are any other complications. But there is an eight-day gap in between and that should be more than enough for recovery. Since it's a series-decider, he must play, unless there's an injury,' Irfan told The Hindu. According to CricViz data, Bumrah has maintained an average of 1.031 degrees in terms of swing angle so far in the series, just behind Nitish Kumar Reddy (1.621) and Harry Brook (1.037). However, in crunch situations like these, it's not just about numbers. As Irfan points out, 'a player picking and choosing games is never ideal for any team,' as it often unsettles the unit. The options, too, are limited for India. While Siraj and Akash took charge of India's bowling attack in Birmingham, Prasidh Krishna erred in line and length, and conceded 111 runs, with just one wicket. Shardul Thakur too failed to create an impact in the opening Test. And that's why, Irfan believes there's no option beyond Bumrah in a must-win game. 'This is the biggest five-match series that you would play abroad in this World Test Championship cycle, and in such a crunch situation, changing too much isn't ideal — neither for the management nor for the fellow bowlers. In conditions like these, Bumrah's presence adds a lot of value,' Irfan, who is currently in London, added. After a short break, the Indian team will train at the Beckenham County ground on Thursday, where Bumrah is expected to have a full session. The team management will 'observe and assess' his fitness before taking a call on his availability for the big game.
The Hindu
6 days ago
- Sport
- The Hindu
IND vs ENG: Should Bumrah play in Manchester? Here's what Irfan Pathan says
Jasprit Bumrah has never played a Test match at Old Trafford, but it's now that India needs him the most. As the team heads to Manchester, conceding a 1-2 lead in the five-match series, the think-tank has a tough task at hand as it needs to decide whether to play Bumrah in what could be a series-deciding fixture or follow the workload protocol and keep him fresh for the final game at The Oval. He has featured in two games so far. Bumrah bowled 43.4 overs in Leeds, and claimed a five-fer in the first innings, before being resting in Birmingham, where India clinched a convincing victory, riding on the performances of a young pace attack. He returned to Lord's for the third Test, and went on claiming seven wickets - including a five-wicket haul in the first essay - and bowled 43 overs. While the team management has been particular about ensuring that he doesn't bowl longer spells at a stretch, it now faces the biggest challenge. Even though India captain Shubman Gill kept the suspense alive, saying, 'You will get to know soon', former India fast bowler Irfan Pathan believes that with the series on the line, Bumrah should play in Manchester. 'Every team management wants their best player to feature in every game, but the workload management also depends on the bowler's fitness - whether he is feeling tired or not, whether there are any other complications. But there is a nine-day gap in between and that should be more than enough for recovery. Since it's a series-decider, he must play, unless there's an injury,' Pathan told Sportstar. According to CricViz data, Bumrah has maintained an average of 1.031 degree in terms of swing angle so far in the series, just behind Nitish Kumar Reddy (1.621) and Harry Brook (1.037). However, in crunch situations like these, it's not just about numbers. As Pathan points out, 'a player picking and choosing games is never ideal for any team,' as it often unsettles the unit. The options, too, are limited for India. While Akash Deep and Mohammed Siraj spearheaded India's bowling attack in Birmingham, Prasidh Krishna erred in line and length, and conceded 111 runs, with just one wicket. Even Shardul Thakur failed to create an impact in the opening Test. And that's why, Pathan believes there's no option beyond Bumrah in a must-win game. 'This is the biggest five-match series that you would play abroad in this World Test Championship cycle, and in such a crunch situation, changing too much isn't ideal - neither for the management nor for the fellow bowlers. In conditions like these, Bumrah's presence adds a lot of value,' he added. After a short-break, the Indian team will train at the Beckenham County ground on Thursday, where Bumrah is expected to have a full session. The team management will 'observe and assess' his fitness before taking a call on his availability at Old Trafford.
Indian Express
13-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Behind Joe Root's record 211 catches: Going past Dravid, a competition with Steve Smith, Stuart Broad keeping score of ‘drops' & Crawley starting random debates in cordon
As Joe Root went past Rahul Dravid's record (210 catches)of most catches in Tests, with 211 clasps at Lord's when he snared xxx, the first among English first-slippers recalled how he grew into the role. Speaking to BBC Sports after Day 3 when he achieved his catches record in his 156th Test, 12 years after his first grab, New Zealand's Peter Fulton off the bowling of Steven Finn at long-on in 2013, Root spoke of how the journey to be involved on the field started, though these days he'd always in the frame, guarding first slip. He told BBC that 25 years ago at Sheffield Collegiate Cricket Club, his first incentive was a packet of crisps (potato chips) and a pop (eg. Chocobar or orange dolly). 'At eight or nine years old, I'd be doing fine leg to fine leg, working my apprenticeship that way,' Root told BBC Sport. 'As you play a little bit more, you start finding ways of trying to get more involved. To get us staying engaged with the game, one of the senior players would keep asking how many balls were left. If we got it right, we'd get 20p. At the end of the game, if you were engaged and knew what was going on, you might be able to buy yourself a packet of crisps and a pop. That's how I got into it. The more you play, the more you want to affect the game, the more you want to get into the positions where you can actually do that.' The logic is simple – you spend more time on the ground fielding than batting. Root told BBC his favourites: lunging catch after Sri Lanka's Shaminda Eranga at Chester-le-Street in 2016 was pushed on Blackfoot evading James Vince and a stretched full-dive at short cover to send back Indian Ajinkya Rahane in Chennai in 2021, where he remembered the catch alongside a double hundred as England captain. Competition with Steve Smith The New old Fab Four also sees Root competing with Steve Smith, for not just runs but also the Caughts. Smith has 200 catches from 118 Tests, ahead of the Grenada Test beginning on Saturday. Accordingbto CricViz stats, Root averages just over 0.7 catches per Test while Smith is at an eye-popping 0.9. Like a good batting vigil, Test catching can also demand focus over long sessions, née days. 'That's the beauty of it. You're training your body, over and over again, that when the ball comes, you're in the right position, lined up nicely, and staying nice and relaxed. It might be two days before you take a catch, but if it's drilled into you, time and time again, it makes it that little bit easier. It takes that panic out of it,' he told BBC. 'There are situations where the conditions are in the bowlers' favour and you feel very much in the game the whole time. You are naturally in a very good headspace to catch. There are other times when it comes out of nowhere, catching you off guard.' Out on his own at the 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐭𝐨𝐩 🔝 What a way to go clear with the most catches in Test history 🥇 — England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 11, 2025 Drops & feeling of wanting to be swallowed whole While first slip or close in has given Root chances of record catching, it can also turn notorious for drops like Jaiswal's nightmare in first Test. 'There are times when you want the floor to swallow you up, to disappear,' Root told BBC. 'The only way that you are going to feel remotely better is getting another opportunity, trying to put it right. You've got to want the ball, that next chance to come to you and be confident in yourself you're not going to make the same mistake twice.' One bowler has been part of Root's tryst with history and equally misses: Stuart Broad. CricViz notes that he has 'missed' 12 chances off Broad, more than he put down off any other bowler, and a stat the big Broad has not missed a chance to remind him of. 'He has let me know. He's probably got a record of how many, against who, what the score ended up being and what it should have been in his mind,' Root half joked about his famous pacer with whom hes shared 114 Tests. But at Trent Bridge 2015, Root held onto three of the edges giving Broad 8-15 against Australia. 'I felt like the ball was coming all the time,' Root said. 'I was very confident. I'd caught a few before that game. It was one of those feelings where I was thinking, 'Right, come on, any opportunity I'm clinging on to it'.' Root however picked Ben Stokes ahead of Broad or Jimmy Anderson as his best 'caught X, bowled Y' combo, adding an edge is likely soon after a no-ball – cue for Indian batters. 'When conditions suit it swinging around, Ben Stokes has got this incredible knack of nicking people off,' Root told BBC. 'There have been two occasions in the past couple of years where he's bowled a no- ball, then the next ball has been an edge, and I've dropped it. He always says, 'Whenever I bowl a no-ball, make sure you're ready'. Against Zimbabwe this summer, he bowled a no-ball. I shouted from first slip, 'I'm ready', then I dropped the next ball. He was absolutely fuming.' Slip cordon chatter gets quite chatty, owing to long periods spent there, and Root offered an insight into the always theatrical Zak Crawley. He told BBC: 'None of us have particularly good chat,' Zak Crawley is probably the most interesting, because he'll want to argue about something. He'll create a debate he doesn't even believe in just to stimulate a conversation.' These debates go beyond cricket. 'We might start naming the top five footballers in the world, favourite musicians, to where we're going for dinner that night.' 'It's normal stuff that must happen across the country on a Saturday. We might play Test cricket instead of league cricket or village cricket, but we're still the same people with the same boring conversations. It doesn't get much more interesting, unfortunately,' he ended of the fielding shenanigans.
Hindustan Times
12-07-2025
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Rahul grinds out a second ton as Lord's Test perfectly poised
Mumbai: India batted for 119.2 overs to England's 112.3 overs. After three days of attritional play in the harsh English summer, under a sky with barely any cloud, the Dukes ball getting repeatedly and frustratingly soft, there was nothing to separate the two sides. The teams have ended on identical first innings totals of 387, turning the Lord's Test into a second innings shoot out with two days left. KL Rahul celebrates his century on the third day of the third Test in Lord's on Saturday. (PTI) Day 3 began with KL Rahul looking the most assured while scoring one of the most classical hundreds seen in the series. Even then, as he walked through the Lord's Long Room after becoming the 100th player to have got out on exactly hundred, one could see that Rahul wasn't quite in the mood to appreciate the standing ovation, thinking of what might have been. Before the series, Rahul knew his sub-35 career average after 10 years and 58 Tests made for poor reading. It is one of the reasons he was overlooked for captaincy when the opportunity presented itself. Now the seniormost batter in the side, there are ample signs of Rahul wanting to make this 'a big series', as chief selector Ajit Agarkar wanted him to. This is the first time he has two hundreds to show in a series, underlining the consistency that was lacking in his cricket. Sadly for Rahul, Rishabh Pant's wicket had been sacrificed in a completely avoidable run out, in a bid to help Rahul avoid the psychological burden of an impending hundred during lunch break. To make matters worse, moments after Rahul's century on resumption, he nicked a tossed up off-break from Shoaib Bashir to slip. In the context of the match, on a moving day, from looking like making it a leather chasing day for England, India had squandered the advantage. Until he was dismissed, Rahul had been a model of concentration. Picking his battles with care, punishing the slightly erratic Brydon Carse and Chris Woakes, who lacked bite. He played close to the body as the more successful openers in England do and latched on to every loose delivery England offered while they focused on containing Pant's aggression at the other end. Pant's innings, despite battling pain in his injured left index finger, was thrill-a-minute. The Rahul-Pant 141-run partnership was the biggest of the match. After their departures on either side of lunch, India were anxious to not squander their fightback. CricViz put out the data showing how much in control Rahul had been throughout the series - only 12 percent of his shots were false shots. But would his contributions help India take control of the series? To push India further back, Stokes introduced Jofra Archer early. Even with a ball 70 overs old, he bowled thunderbolts to Nitish Reddy. Archer forced Reddy to take evasive action and gave him a long stare everytime. Stokes then hit the young all-rounder on the helmet during a short ball barrage of his own. Reddy though survived and with the calming presence of Ravindra Jadeja at the other end, helped stitch a crucial 72-run sixth wicket partnership. In a match of fluctuating fortunes, mirroring the series, the pendulum again seemed to swing towards India when Stokes, England's omnipresent hero – his direct hit had run out Pant – pulled another one back for hosts. He was able to deliver a brute of a lifter that caught Reddy's (30) edge to the keeper. Only the other day, Stokes took extended treatment on his groin while batting and it wasn't sure if he would be able to bowl at all. Here he was bowling longish spells bending his back while the other bowlers struggled to make the second new ball count. So much so that Stokes trusted Joe Root with a long spell over Woakes after Basheer had to go off with a finger injury suffered while trying to take a return catch off Jadeja. Quietly, Jadeja took a toll of Root's off-spin. Not going hammer and tongs but milking him for runs. One of the brave selection calls India have taken in the series is loading the team with the extra all-rounder over Kuldeep Yadav's wrist spin. Washington Sundar (23) was again able to provide useful lower order runs to complement yet another sword-wielding fifty from Jadeja -- it ended on 72 following a catch down the leg side but helped India inched up to 387. Once the lower middle order batters did their job, Rahul would have breathed easy. On a day he became the scorer of most Test hundreds by an Indian opener in England, he wouldn't have wanted a moment of indiscretion over running between the wickets to blight the mood.
India Today
10-07-2025
- Sport
- India Today
ENG vs IND: Captain Shubman Gill shines as Nitish Reddy gamble pays off at Lord's
Shubman Gill showcased his decision-making prowess on Day 1 of the third Test against England at Lord's. The Indian captain's bold call to bring on part-time pacer Nitish Kumar Reddy shortly after the first hour proved inspired. After England's openers had seen off the new-ball trio of Jasprit Bumrah, Akash Deep and Mohammed Siraj, they appeared to relax - only to be undone by the part-timer, who dismissed both in the same was introduced in the 14th over, immediately after a drinks break and a brief team huddle. The SunRisers Hyderabad all-rounder struck with just his second delivery - one angled down the leg side that cramped Ben Duckett for room. The left-handed opener attempted to glance it fine but was caught down the leg side by wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant. | Lord's Test Day 1 Updates | Operating from the Members' End, Nitish almost had two in two. His very next delivery, to new batter Ollie Pope, held its line and took the outside edge. The ball flew to the gully region but dropped just short of captain Gill, who dived full stretch in an effort to take the catch. However, Nitish didn't have to wait long for his second. Just one ball later, he removed Zak Crawley with a peach - a good-length delivery that moved away, kissed the edge, and was neatly pouched by Pant. The wicketkeeper looked visibly surprised at the amount of movement the part-timer generated. good, @NKReddy07He came on to bowl in just the 14th over and struck twice, sending #BenDuckett and #ZakCrawley back! Fun fact: In a single over, NKR registered his best Test figures - 2/5* #ENGvIND 3rd TEST, DAY 1 | LIVE NOW on JioHotstar Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) July 10, 2025From a solid 43 for 0, England suddenly found themselves at 44 for 2 - and fans were quick to laud Gill's captaincy, crediting him for the inspired decision to use Nitish in the first session."Nitish Kumar Reddy's length has been spot on here. To the right-handers, he's challenged them with a great length in the last few overs," said England pacer Mark Wood on the to CricViz data, Nitish generated the most swing and seam among Indian bowlers in the first session - swing of 2.6 degrees and seam movement of 0.9 consistently hit a good length, bowling marginally fuller than the other pacers. Clocking speeds of around 130 kph, Nitish was effective in keeping Joe Root and Ollie Pope quiet in the build-up to reached the interval on 83 for 2, with Nitish's double strike in the 14th over standing out as the highlight of the INDIA MISS A TRICK?His effectiveness also gave Shubman Gill the flexibility to rotate his frontline quicks. Jasprit Bumrah bowled eight probing overs, beating the bat multiple times from both ends but remained wicketless. Gill displayed tactical acumen, using Bumrah cleverly - allowing him to bowl both with and against the Lord's slope in his two Deep, coming off a 10-wicket haul in the second Test at Edgbaston, found less assistance from the pitch this time. He was not given a spell from the Pavilion End, where he might have been more effective. Former England pacer Steve Harmison remarked that India "missed a trick" by not giving Akash the opportunity to bowl from that end, especially as he had troubled English batters previously with deliveries that seamed Siraj, meanwhile, bowled just five overs but did a tidy job, keeping the scoring in the break, Joe Root (24*) and Ollie Pope (12*) remained unbeaten as the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy continued to deliver a fiercely contested battle at the Home of Cricket.- EndsTune InYou May Also Like
