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The Hindu
12 hours ago
- Sport
- The Hindu
Vaibhav Suryavanshi blitz fires India to victory
Fresh from their exploits in the IPL, young guns Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Ayush Mhatre shone with the bat after a tidy bowling performance as India defeated England by six wickets in the first Youth ODI of their Under-19 tour here on Friday. India's bowling unit, led by the spin duo of Kanishk Chouhan (three for 20) and Mohamed Enaan (two for 37), along with seamers R.S. Ambrish (two for 24) and Henil Patel (two for 41), combined superbly to bowl England out for 174 in 42.2 overs despite a fighting fifty by Rocky Flintoff (56 from 90 balls). Chasing 175, India got off to a blazing start courtesy Suryavanshi (48, 18b, 3x4, 5x6) and Mhatre (21), who raced to 70 without loss in just seven overs. After their departure, vice-captain Abhigyan Kundu sealed the chase with 45 not out (34b, 4x4, 1x6) as India won in just 24 overs. Donning the iconic No. 18 jersey, the 14-year-old Suryavanshi, who had lit up IPL 2025 with 252 runs in seven matches for Rajasthan Royals, including a record-breaking 35-ball hundred against Gujarat Titans, looked in ominous touch. He hammered three sixes off Jack Home in the sixth over and tore apart James Minto to reach 48 off just 18 balls. The scores: England U-19 174 in 42.2 overs (Rocky Flintoff 56, Kanishk Chouhan 3/20) lost to India U-19 178/4 in 24 overs (Suryavanshi 48, Kundu 45 n.o). Toss: England.
The Hindu
16 hours ago
- Sport
- The Hindu
R. Sai Kishore discusses his breakthrough IPL season, finger-spinners in T20 cricket, competition for Indian team spots and more.
In this year's Indian Premier League, Tamil Nadu left-arm spinner R. Sai Kishore finally had the breakthrough season he had been looking for. The 28-year-old has had to wait three years for regular game-time and grabbed his chances in 2025, scalping 19 wickets for Gujarat Titans. In this chat with The Hindu, the TN skipper discusses the IPL, finger-spinners in T20 cricket, the competition for spots in the Indian team, and more. Excerpts: How satisfying was this year's IPL? I have been part of IPL for six or seven years, but have never had the opportunity to play a full season. So, very grateful for it. I do not have any attachment towards it. When you get a full season, you know your full potential, whether you can contribute or not. Otherwise, you are just [thinking of] permutations and combinations, whether I am good enough or not. After a full season, I feel very confident that I am ready to play at the highest level. The biggest realisation was that what I have is enough. Sometimes, when you are not competing, you don't know whether what you have is enough or not. What was your approach this year? I tried to stick to my basics, just as I would in any other tournament, such as the Mushtaq Ali, TNPL, or Ranji Trophy. If I execute my plans well, that's more than enough. Sometimes in T20, you can't buy wickets. So, wickets have to happen. I was very happy that the team also used me when the batsmen were trying to attack. And when I could just adapt to the situation, wickets were falling. So, very grateful for it. ALSO READ | Rishabh, the Pant-astic entertainer After your debut in 2022, you sat out 2023 because of the team combination and then an injury cut short your journey last year. How did you handle this phase? In the first year [2022], I had a very good season. You wanted to build on it. You would expect things to just happen. But as time would have it, I think that also was for the good. It made me much more mature and understand my game. As a result, all those experiences occurred because of that break. So when this breakthrough season happened, I was more than ready mentally to handle it. They say the Chinese bamboo tree doesn't grow for years, and suddenly, in one year, it grows. But for about six to seven years, the tree has been forming its roots and strengthening the foundations. This year, you were the leader of the spin attack. Did you enjoy the responsibility? In the other teams I play for, I naturally take on that role. So, it wasn't like I was taken aback or anything. I am waiting for such roles. To be fair, Rashid [Khan] is the best T20 bowler across all the teams. In this decade, he will be the best T20 bowler. Maybe for some reason, he didn't find his rhythm. Because I have done such roles in all the other competitions, it came naturally to me. I just wanted to back myself. Whatever has worked for me in domestic cricket is what has brought me here. Thankfully, Ashish Nehra also trusted me with those roles. Usually, people can be judgmental about a finger-spinner bowling in the death or a left-arm spinner against left-handers. But he trusted me. I am pleased I could deliver for the trust he had. Speaking about finger-spinners, there are not many going around. How can your tribe stay relevant in T20 cricket? The basic thing is to spin the ball. At times, as a finger-spinner, you dart the ball too much. If you can spin the ball, impart revolutions, and have the basics intact, that is where the key lies. Also, being very smart. Sometimes wrist-spinners can get away by being a little simple. They have to just bowl length, turn the ball both ways, and go. As finger-spinners, you have to understand the game, what the batsman is trying to do, what to do and what not to do. That becomes crucial, but still trying to spin the ball. Luckily, I have had coaches who always emphasised that and not just darting it in. I have been working with Ram Kumar for seven or eight years, and even with Aashish Kapoor in Gujarat Titans. Thankfully, I have had good mentors. You tried bowling the carrom ball this year. How did it come about? It is something which I consciously worked on because you can't just sit back. When you miss a lot of games, then naturally you want to develop. I don't have this. I will work on it. That thought was definitely [there] and could have been the seed for it. So, I worked on my carrom ball for the last two to three years. I started bowling it in the Deodhar Trophy two years ago. From there on, it has evolved so much. I didn't want to overuse it and make it a very mainstream thing. I have trust in my left-arm spin. So, whenever the situation arises, I will deliver. You have to keep evolving along with your basics. I feel the perfect left-arm spinner hasn't been formed yet, and I am working towards it. ALSO READ | The curious case of Kuldeep Yadav What is your idea of the perfect left-arm spinner? You should be able to bowl orthodox well. You should be able to dip the ball well. At the same time, also bowl defensively. Then you have the carrom, googly. What I am saying is probably a bit too much, but I want to keep it for myself so that I have something to look forward to. How do you assess your bowling, and what is your process for improving? Of late, I have stopped a lot [of looking at data]. I switch off my mind. If I have a skill, I want to extract it to the best. I am not diagnosing it or dissecting it. Ram is always very critical. It's difficult to get a 'well bowled' from him. I trust him and Aashish Kapoor. Sometimes, if I am drifting or falling apart, they tell me. They are very straightforward. They don't think about whether they are hurting me or not. Has captaincy helped you? It has helped me see the game from a larger perspective. Thinking not just as a bowler but also what a batsman does and thinking in terms of team dynamics. I have been grateful that when I started leading, we [Tamil Nadu] have done well in the last few years, and players are doing well. I wouldn't say it is [because of me]. I spoke to other captains and former cricketers. W.V. Raman sir helped a lot. He gave his inputs on how to keep the team together and what not to do. I interacted with him a lot during the 2023-24 season. India has quality left-arm spinners in Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel. And last year, Harsh Dubey did exceedingly well with bat and ball. How do you see the competition for spots? We are filled with talent. I am just trying to make my garden beautiful. If the flowers are beautiful, there will be bees here. If the garden is not beautiful, bees won't come. My philosophy is very simple. I just want to keep my garden very beautiful, very attractive. Automatically, what has to come will come. I trust the timing of the universe. When it comes, it will flow. You have to wait for it. I just want to make sure I am ready with all the skill-sets. If I go there, I don't want to turn back and say, 'No, I have to work on this'. I have got some learnings from IPL. I am just working on it here in TNPL. I think the best delivery I can have is patience.
Time of India
a day ago
- Sport
- Time of India
India vs England: 'My first aim is ... ' - Shubman Gill's turn to make some bold calls
Before India went into the first Test against England at Headingley, said, 'I see myself as a batter first. My first aim is to become the highest run-scorer of the series.' Very clear in his thought process, Gill walked the talk. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now He became the fifth Indian to score a century on India captaincy debut. With runs on the board, one felt the young man's initiation into leading the troops would be a smooth one. But over the course of the next four days, things didn't exactly pan out the way it should have and India are now 0-1 down in the series. While the burden of captaincy didn't affect Shubman the batter, it's clear that in the field, his leadership skills are still a work in progress. It's still early days but there's no doubt leadership in England is going to be a steep learning curve for the 25-year old, who is the fifth youngest India cricketer to become Test captain. It's not easy when the opposition batting lineup is as strong as England's and the pitches are not exactly bowler friendly. If this was a subcontinental dust bowl, Gill might have found things a little easier, but the first Test in Leeds suggested this tour is going to be a baptism by fire for him. 'These are tough places to lead and it is like pushing someone into the deep sea. He batted phenomenally well in the first innings and will learn on the job as he goes on, coach said. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! While the coach has every reason to throw his weight behind Gill, there were a few raised eyebrows with the way he used allrounder Shardul Thakur. In the first innings, when England batted for 101 overs, Shardul, playing as a bowling allrounder, was given only six overs, that too after coming in pretty late. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now It left an impression that Shubman lacks confidence in Shardul, not necessarily a positive sign. Why Team India will practice behind closed doors in Birmingham, details of bonding session and more Former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, on his Youtube channel, said that to get the best of out of Shardul, it was important that he came in to bowl within the first 40 overs. 'Shardul is a good cricketer and he has a decent match-up with Joe Root. When you're playing in England, the ball sometimes stops doing anything after the first 40 overs. If Shardul is playing, he should be bowling more during that phase,' Ashwin said. Gill's body language in the field had an air of assurance about it. He didn't look too overawed by the situation, which showed that his leadership stint with Gujarat Titans in the IPL had helped. He doesn't exactly have the inyour-face aggression of a Virat Kohli, nor does his face betray emotions, as it used to be the case with Rohit Sharma. In many ways, Gill is his own man, and even when things were getting tight on Day 5, he didn't lose his smile and didn't allow the shoulders to droop. But there could be a little bit of criticism about his field placements on the fifth morning, when India needed to be aggressive to take wickets. The staggered slip cordon very early on was a clear indication that he was going on the defensive, which probably gave a little bit of mental edge to the England openers Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley. 'Country over my child': KL Rahul's first words before England Tests There were a few edges off Duckett's bat that went in the gaps behind the wicket, something that could have been avoided. In the latter half of the first innings too, when Chris Woakes and Brydon Carse were making merry, Gill delayed the re-introduction of Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja, which cost India about 50 runs. That stretch of play showed a little bit of immaturity in Gill's captaincy, but then it can't be forgotten that the skipper can't run Bumrah to the ground. It is not easy for a captain when the bowling isn't exactly firing and there is a fitness issue with the only X-factor bowler in the XI. In a situation like this, Gill the captain has to take some bold decisions going forward, which might start with the inclusion of Kuldeep Yadav in the playing XI. Tiger Pataudi, way back in 1967 in England, decided to play four spinners in the playing XI — a decision that subsequently made India a very difficult team to beat at home. In 2018, it was Virat Kohli's turn to play with four pacers, another call that helped the team rule red-ball cricket for a brief phase. In a crunch situation, such radical calls become a necessity and it's to be seen if captain Gill is bold enough to cut down on the batting line-up and go with five genuine bowlers in the second Test starting on July 2. It can lead to either bouquets or brickbats, but then that's part and parcel of the most coveted job in Indian sport.
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
'India had 3-4 captains in Leeds and none of them up to the mark...': Nasser Hussain pulls no punches for Shubman Gill
That India were heading into uncertain territories after the retirement of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli was a given, considering the appointment of Shubman Gill as the new Test captain. Two years of IPL leadership with the Gujarat Titans is all that Gill had in his CV, but the selectors and the Indian team management, headed by coach Gautam Gambhir, saw Gill as the future and took the bait. They had very few options to be honest, as Jasprit Bumrah had denied captaincy, citing workload. An overseas assignment on captaincy debut, that too in England, was never going to be easy. India's Shubman Gill passes the ball(Action Images via Reuters) Shubman Gill, the batter, took on the challenge like a duck to water, registering his maiden Test century in the SENA countries in the first Test of the series. The composure, the ramrod straight bat offered every time the ball was pitched on stumps and the patience that let the good ones, sent out an early signal of Gill's maturity as a Test batter. Captaincy must have done a world of good to his confidence. But the same, however, did not reflect when it was his turn to marshal his troops on the field. He seemed bereft of ideas whenever there was a partnership. There was no visible ploy against any of the English batters. His field placements at the start of Day 5, when England were 21/0, still 350 runs away from the target, were far too defensive, which allowed Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett to breathe easy. Something as obvious as using the rough created outside the left-hander's off-stump eluded Gill when Duckett was going all guns blazing. Nasser Hussain not happy with Shubman Gill's captaincy He did receive support from senior pro KL Rahul and vice-captain Rishabh Pant, but former England captain Nasser Hussain believed none of them were up to the mark as far as making a difference with the captaincy was concerned. "India had 3-4 captaincy in Headingley but none of them were up to the mark," said Hussain on commentary after England chased down 371 on Day 5 to take a 1-0 lead in the series. The former England captain had praised Rahul's leadership a couple of hours ago when the senior batter took over the field placement from Gill and brought energy that also resulted in Shardul Thakur getting a couple of breakthroughs in the same over in the second session. But it all went downhill for India in the final session. In the post-match show on Sky Sports, Hussain added that Shubman Gill did not have the same on-field aura as Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli and criticised the 25-year-old for following the ball. "I saw someone finding his way. He (Gill) didn't quite have that on-field aura of Rohit and Virat Kohli. I thought he followed the ball a lot and was reactive rather than proactive," Hussain said on Sky Sports. "When Rohit and Kohli captained, you looked down and you immediately knew who was in charge, but when I looked down in this game, I saw two or three captains, captaincy by committee," Hussain said, alluding to Gill not taking complete control of the team.
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First Post
3 days ago
- Sport
- First Post
Opinion: Let us all help Shubman Gill transition from boy-in-charge to man-in-command
After India's defeat in the 1st Test against England at Leeds, questions are being raised about Shubman Gill's captaincy. But amid criticism, there are also calls for patience as Team India is currently undergoing a major transition phase in red-ball cricket. read more Does criticism help? Yes, if it is constructive and if the party being analysed takes it in the right spirit. Criticising someone for just the sake of criticism, and conveniently at a time when they are down, is just plain mean and helps no one. Should Team India have won the first Test vs England at Leeds – a venue they haven't won a Test in since 2002? Yes. Most top teams would not have lost this match after having the opposition on their knees and that too on more than one occasion. The visitors failed to deliver the knockout punch, simple as that. There's absolutely no arguing with that. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Too soon to judge Gill's captaincy But to see fingers being pointed at new Test captain Shubman Gill , bringing his leadership capabilities into question after just one match in charge seems rather unfair. Reading a few reports the day after the result at the home of Yorkshire cricket, it feels as if there's more frustration about the fact that the visiting side couldn't get across the finish line, in what was a golden chance to go 1-0 up in the series (which is completely understandable). Have these critics forgotten that experience is the best teacher? This was literally the first time ever that Shubman was marshalling the troops in Test match cricket. Ask yourself this question - 'were you expecting Shubman to be a top-notch captain, especially while India were fielding, because of the results he has produced as Gujarat Titans skipper in the IPL?' If yes, you need to realign your expectations with reality. This is Test cricket, the highest, most gruelling form of cricket there is, not franchise T20 cricket. This loss at Leeds really hurts because India could have won this match , for sure. If some of the catches that were dropped were held, if numbers 6-11 had done better than scoring a total of 65 runs, both innings combined, if Bumrah had got more support from the other bowlers in England's first innings or if India's bowling attack overall was more incisive in the English second innings, the result could well have been very different. But let's face the fact – the stable door was left unlocked and the horse has bolted. It's one down, four to go and that's how Team India should approach the rest of the series. A team in transition We must remember that the Indian Test team is currently in a state of transition. It's not just that there's no Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and R Ashwin for the first time in 14 years for India in Test match cricket (which in itself is a massive change). For a new captain, who has had no previous leadership experience at senior Test level, to come in and take charge is difficult. Multiple members of the Indian squad which is in England currently are older than Shubman and have more senior India team experience. Imagine being a 25-year-old, leading a team of older, more experienced men – it's been done before of course, but it's not the easiest thing to do – in any line of work. Let's give the young man some time to settle in. This is where senior players like Jasprit Bumrah, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur and Head coach Gautam Gambhir should throw their complete and absolute support behind Shubman. It was good to hear Gambhir defend Shubman wholeheartedly at the post-match press conference. Shubman has been pushed into the deep-end. It wasn't done all of a sudden of course (like it was with Virat Kohli in 2014) and he walked into it with his eyes wide open. If Jasprit Bumrah had not picked up the back injury on the last tour of Australia, which showed that he won't be able to handle the rigours of 5 Tests in a series, it would have been India's pace spearhead who would have been leading the team in red ball cricket right now and not Shubman. And the buck always stops with the captain, as it should. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Kohli took his time too But Shubman has literally begun his Test captaincy education. Now we need to wait and see if he can go from boy-in-charge to man-in-command and how quickly. And he needs everyone's help to do that. Virat, who is India's most successful Test captain of all time (win percentage of 58.82), lost his first Test match as stand-in captain (Adelaide, 2014) as well as his first Test as full-time Test captain (Galle, 2015). He then went on to win 40 of the 68 Tests he was in charge of. Just like Shubman (147 & 8), Virat too had a first innings century and a low score in the second (103 & 3) in that Galle Test. Some are comparing Virat's captaincy style with Gill's, asking for Gill to toughen up. Whether he manages to do it the way Virat did depends entirely on his own personality. Two captains with different personality traits can both be successful captains. Shubman is India's fifth youngest Test captain ever, and also someone who has been handed the reins of the Test team for the first time and asked to begin his captaincy journey with a Test tour of a country where India have not been victorious in a series since 2007. It is imperative for all of us to be patient, to not get frustrated (no matter how difficult it might be) when Test match results don't go our way in the near future. Most, if not every top team in the world has gone through tough transition phases. Gill will learn, he will evolve. He will hopefully get the help and support he needs. He was put in charge as a long-term option, because there's ample time for him to pick up things and keep getting better. He is a very intelligent young man, and it would be a crying shame if he is attacked from the get-go. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Positives from Leeds Let's also try and focus on some of the positives. I wanted to see Shubman fill the crucial number 4 slot vacated by Virat Kohli, who occupied it after Sachin Tendulkar retired in 2013. And the way the Indian captain (who doesn't have a great batting record outside of Asia yet) batted in the first innings, scoring 147 was very, very impressive. It was also great to see Sai Sudharsan make his Test debut. He might have scored only 30 (both innings combined), but remember the team management has to keep one eye on the future as well. It was so good to see KL Rahul open the batting and shoulder the expectations and the responsibility with so much trademark composed flair and a very well-deserved century. The fact that the India top 5 scored over 81% of the total runs scored by the team in the first Test (679 of 835 runs), with five centuries, could be seen as the lower order not managing to pitch in at all, of course. But it is also a good sign to see most of the the pure batters of this young team pulling their weight. Key areas for improvement However, having said that, counting down to the second Test in Birmingham, which starts on July 2, the big focus has to be on making sure the lower order contributes much more. Gill the fielding captain has to be more proactive and involved. The catching has to improve and also the overall character shown on the field. This is Test cricket. No matter what might be happening, the shoulders can't droop. The body language has to remain positive. Gambhir has said that the team is yet to decide which two other Tests Bumrah will play. If he is rested for the second Test, the task at hand becomes harder for Gill and vice-captain Pant. To come back from 0-1 down on a foreign tour and that too without the services of your best fast bowler is not a position any team would want to be in. But this also is an opportunity to do something very special. Remember the Test series win in Australia in 2020-21, when the Indian team, which lost the first Test, and was already without their top two first choice bowlers, then lost three more bowlers to injury and yet went on to win the 4-Test series 2-1? STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD These are the kind of situations that forge character. England are beatable There's no doubt that the current English side is very much beatable in their own backyard. Especially at a time when they don't have the services of viciously fast bowlers like Jofra Archer (who hasn't played a Test match since February 2021 and is currently trying to prove that he is fit for Test cricket), Mark Wood (who underwent a knee surgery and will not play at least the next three Tests of the ongoing series), Ollie Robinson (who is currently persona non grata) and Olly Stone (who is frequently injured). Maybe the 'management decision' to ask James Anderson to hang up his boots wasn't a great one. The fact that there were as many as four Indian centurions and a total of five centuries scored against the current English bowling attack is not something that will sit well with coach Brendon McCullum or captain Ben Stokes, no matter how much they credit their 'attitude'. Now is the time for captain Gill and his team to try and learn from the mistakes that were made in Headingley and try and fix as many chinks in their armour as they can – tactical and analytical. Now is the time for the team management to stand firmly behind each and every player and give them the confidence that they can bounce back hard and beat an opponent who might be high on confidence, but one which is also not invincible. Now is the time for the think tank to decide what they need to do differently in Birmingham and if any personnel changes need to be made to the playing XI. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Now is the time to believe that this series can still be won, no matter what the odds.
