Latest news with #Ex-India
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First Post
6 days ago
- Sport
- First Post
Why dilly-dallying around Jasprit Bumrah paints a wrong picture of Team India and the pacer
With the fourth Test of the India vs England series approaching, the unsolved dilemma about Jasprit Bumrah remains at large. Will the pacer feature in the penultimate Test or not? read more After ending on the losing side at Lord's, Team India is under the pump to bring the series on level terms again. Shubman Gill and Co will enter Old Trafford on July 23 trailing by 1-2 and hence would like to field the strongest XI. Barring a couple of places, every position in the eleven is sorted. However, the uncertainty about Jasprit Bumrah remains at large. Being the biggest match-winner present in the squad, the pacer needs to feature in the penultimate Test and give India the edge when they need it most. Despite the precarious state the team is in, there is no definite word on Bumrah. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Also Read | No player bigger than the team, not even Bumrah With Bumrah, the factor of workload management always walks alongside. The cricketer is perhaps the reason why the term has gained popularity over the years. No doubt Bumrah has been exceptional with the ball throughout his career, but if he can't commit to playing an entire tour, then it can put a lot of weight on the team, leaving them yearning for balance in the side. For instance, in the first Test of the ongoing series against England, India had put a challenging target of 371 in front of England. The hosts held an upper hand while chasing, but in the end things got tricky when Ben Stokes was dismissed, and 71 more runs were still needed with five wickets in hand. Team India needed an inspirational spell from their trump card at that point, but as a precautionary measure, Bumrah wasn't brought back to the attack, and consequently, India lost the match by five wickets. What perplexed fans and experts was that during this phase was that he remained on the ground and on occasions scampered to save a boundary too. Bumrah did not play the second Test at Edgbaston. Why? The Indian pacer seemingly has the liberty to cherry-pick the games in which he will make his presence. This is unprecedented, and one can navigate the entire history of Team India and yet may not find anything like that. This goes to show that the bowler's stature in the team has surpassed even that of superstars like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Him taking proper rest and returning to play the Lord's Test further proves that Bumrah's whims and fancies are kept over the needs of the team. Also Read | Ex-India captain slams Bumrah for playing England Tests on 'personal preference': 'If you are unfit, don't play at all' The board needs to set the example straight The situation puts the chief selector, coach, captain, and the entire team management in a bad light because when Bumrah had already conveyed that he wouldn't be able to play more than three Tests in the series, why did the board send him on tour in the first place? Didn't the greatest minds of cricket in India envision a situation where the team could be 1-2 down after three Tests and would be counting on its pace spearhead to turn the tide? Needless to say, this question shouldn't have even emerged at this point. As one of the most experienced players in the team and the one who's being looked up to by his teammates, it's his duty to play and deliver for the team. The board could have considered selecting another player, as at least this situation wouldn't have existed then. As he had already played two matches in the series, the question now arises: to fulfill the three-match condition, which game will Bumrah choose to play next? Will it be in Manchester, which is a must-win game for India, or in the fifth and final Test, where all could already be over and the team will be playing for consolation. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD It's an unwelcome dilemma, which, at a time when the team is facing a series defeat, makes things even uglier.
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First Post
7 days ago
- Sport
- First Post
'Hasn't looked that convincing': Ex-India cricketer wants Karun Nair dropped, picks replacement
Former India cricketer has suggested that the Indian team management should consider dropping Karun Nair for the last two Tests against England and back young Sai Sudharsan instead. India trail 1-2 in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy ahead of the Manchester Test on July 23. read more Former India wicketkeeper-batter Deep Dasgupta feels that Sai Sudharsan should replace Karun Nair for the remaining two Test matches of the ongoing Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy against England. This comes after India lost the third Test match at Lord's by a narrow margin of just 22 runs. Nair, who made his return to Test cricket after 8 years, once again failed to contribute at the top of the order. Nair has struggled to make an impact in the ongoing series thus far. In three games so far, he has scored only 131 runs and is the only top-four batter from either side who hasn't managed a half-century in the series. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Sudharsan, on the other hand, made his debut in the first Test at Leeds but scored just 0 and 30 before being benched. India preferred batting all-rounder Washington Sundar for the Edgbaston and Lord's Tests. Also Read: Ex-India captain slams Bumrah for playing England Tests on 'personal preference': 'If you are unfit, don't play at all' Deep Dasgupta backs Sudharsan instead of Nair Speaking on JioHotstar, Dasgupta said, 'In the Playing XI, you don't want more than one change. If there is only one, it would be replacing Karun Nair with Sai Sudharsan. Because Karun Nair hasn't made any runs. He's got starts, but hasn't converted them into big scores. I also believe he doesn't look that comfortable at the crease either.' 'And secondly, Sai Sudharsan is a young player. If you want to invest in this England series, you'd rather invest in a younger player. Karun Nair has got starts in both Test matches, but he hasn't looked that convincing," he added. 'So if you're looking to build ahead, you might as well invest in someone like Sai Sudharsan. Because after this, I don't know when you'll come back to a series in England. So when you have two Tests left, invest in Sai Sudharsan,' Dasgupta said. Also Read: Ex-India opener urges Gill, Gambhir to provide more clarity on uncapped Indian batter: 'There is no point in...' India currently trail the five-match series 1-2. The fourth Test will be played at Old Trafford in Manchester from July 23, while the final match is scheduled at The Oval in London from July 31 to August 4. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
India Today
08-07-2025
- Sport
- India Today
Sourav Ganguly birthday: India great's 5 unique records
Sourav Ganguly birthday: Ex-India captain's top 5 records Former India captain Sourav Ganguly, fondly known as 'Dada', is celebrating his 53rd birthday on July 8, 2025 On his 53rd birthday, revisits Sourav Ganguly's five most iconic records Sourav Ganguly is the only player in ODI history to win the Man of the Match award in four successive matches, a rare and unmatched feat Sourav Ganguly's 183 against Sri Lanka in the 1999 World Cup still stands as the highest individual score by an Indian in World Cup history Ganguly is one of only five cricketers to achieve the rare treble of 10,000 runs, 100 wickets, and 100 catches in ODI cricket Sourav Ganguly is the only batsman to score a century on Test debut and get out for a first-ball duck in his final Test innings Sourav Ganguly holds the record for the most centuries (22) by an Indian left-hander in One Day Internationals
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First Post
29-06-2025
- Sport
- First Post
Asia Cup likely to begin on 10 September, final decision expected soon: Report
The Asia Cup 2025 is likely to take place in September, with the schedule expected in early July. As per a latest report, the UAE is being tipped to host the tournament amid political tensions following the Pahalgam attack. read more The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) is likely to take a final call on the next week. According to Cricbuzz, the official schedule for the tournament could be released in the first week of July if everything goes well. The tournament is expected to start in the second week of September, most likely on 10 September. UAE frontrunner to host Asia Cup 2025 This year's Asia Cup is supposed to be played in the T20 format. The six teams expected to participate are India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and the UAE. Promotional work for the tournament has reportedly begun, even though an official announcement is still awaited. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is currently the favourite to host the tournament. However, there are also talks about having a hybrid model. India is the official host this time. The Asia Cup is usually moved to a neutral venue when India or Pakistan are slated to host due to political tensions. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Also Read: Shreyas Iyer would have never made it to England… but his time will come: Ex-India opener History of hybrid models in IND-PAK events The 2023 Asia Cup, which was played in the ODI format ahead of the Cricket World Cup, was also conducted in a hybrid model as Pakistan was the official host at the time. India refused to travel to Pakistan and their matches were exclusively held in Sri Lanka. The final was also moved to the island nation after India qualified. Earlier this year, India refused to travel to Pakistan for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, and the organisers were forced to conduct the tournament in a hybrid model. India's matches were held in the UAE, and later the final was also shifted there after the Men in Blue qualified for the summit clash. This was the first time an International Cricket Council (ICC) event was held in such a format. Following that, Pakistan announced that they would not travel to India for any event in the future, at least until the next Future Tours Program (FTP) cycle ends in 2027. Meanwhile, the future of this year's Asia Cup came under a cloud after the terror attack in Pahalgam in April, and later India's Operation Sindoor in May made the situation even more tense between India and Pakistan. Many people in India called for a boycott of Pakistan in all multilateral cricket events. Also Read: Jaiswal receives ex-India fielding coach's backing despite dropped catches at Headingley: 'He's had just two bad games' The ICC recently announced the schedule for two major global tournaments – the Women's ODI World Cup (to be played in India and Sri Lanka) and the Women's T20 World Cup (to be held in England). Even though India and Pakistan are set to clash in both tournaments, their matches will be played at neutral venues. The T20 World Cup is already being hosted in a neutral country, so there's no problem there. However, the ODI World Cup is scheduled to be held in India and Sri Lanka. Due to Pakistan's refusal to travel to India, the India vs Pakistan game will be played in Colombo. This suggests that India vs Pakistan matches will continue to take place in ICC events despite the ongoing rhetoric by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
NDTV
21-06-2025
- Sport
- NDTV
"What Is The Language Used...": On Rishabh Pant's Dismissal, Gautam Gambhir's Message Singled Out By Ex-India Star
Rishabh Pant played in his own aggressive style at Headingley as he went past MS Dhoni to become the first Indian wicketkeeper-batter with seven Test centuries. Pant, who completed 3,000 runs during this innings of 134 off 178 balls (12x4s; 6x6s), also has 15 fifties in 44 Tests and averages nearly 44. Pant struck a six off the first ball of the 100th over of India's first innings, clearing the fence off Shoaib Bashir to bring up the milestone. It was his first century since September 2024 when he scored 109 against Bangladesh. In 90 Tests, Dhoni had scored 4,876 runs with six tons and 33 fifties at an average of 38.09 and remains the highest run-scorer as an Indian wicketkeeper-batter in Tests. Pant finally fell on 134 as he was trapped in front of the wicket by Josh Tongue. Ex-India star Dinesh Karthik, commmentating on Sky Sports, wondered whether a message from Indian cricket team head coach Gautam Gambhir had a role to play in Pant's dismissal. He even hinted that Pant may have been told to change his batting style. "Also very interesting, when a message was sent out to Rishabh Pant, it curbed his style of play. He was just very carefree with his stroke making, and yet the feeling that a message was sent to tell him to calm down doesn't work for certain players, I guess," said Dinesh Karthik on air. "As a coach, it's completely understandable when you want to get a message across to the batter. But over time, you realise, for certain players, how you send that message becomes very important, what is the tone, what is the language used that gets the best out of the batter." Dinesh Karthik also said that Gambhir needs to realise that his ways need to be different with Rishabh Pant to get the best out of him. "Maybe with Rishabh Pant, it needs to be a different way in which you get things done," said Karthik. Meanwhile, former England cricketer Stuart Broad also hailed Indian wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant's century at Leeds against England in the first Test, saying that "everything was going on" during his innings from "falling scoops" to "run-out chances". Pant's scored a record-breaking and entertaining seventh Test century that had it all, be it his trademark audacity, him falling on the ground after a shot or the bat slipping out of his hands. Speaking on the 'Match Centre Live', the JioStar expert Broad said that the England crowd is really great at appreciating good cricket and the reception that Pant got was "one of the loudest I have heard for an opposition player scoring a hundred in England". "It was really well appreciated, because it was so entertaining. We didn't know what was coming! There were those falling scoops, full-blooded shots, run-out chances... everything was going on. Everything you want as a Test match fan -- patience, leaving, then, a flair shot, putting the bowlers under pressure. The crowd really appreciated everything Rishabh Pant did. Box office - truly a box office innings," he added.
