Latest news with #Sundar
India Gazette
7 hours ago
- Sport
- India Gazette
"Not buying narrative": Irfan Pathan doesn't see Sundar's inclusion as "negative" move from India management
New Delhi [India], July 2 (ANI): Former all-rounder Irfan Pathan is not willing to buy the narrative that Washington Sundar is a 'negative move' from Indian management but an attempt to fix the lack of lower-order resistance that has been persisting for a while for the second Test against England at Edgbaston on Wednesday. The beleaguered Indian side, bereft of its pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, shifted its focus towards Sundar to add another layer of batting depth after enduring a shambolic lower-end collapse in the series opener at Headingley. While questions surrounding Sundar's inclusion focus on the Indian management, Pathan sees the positive aspects that the 25-year-old brings, especially with his eye-catching skill set at the bat. 'I'm not buying the narrative that playing Washington Sundar is a negative move. It's actually an attempt to fix what's been missing for a while -- lower-order resistance. And let's not forget, he will contribute with the ball too. Specially vs English batters,' Pathan wrote on X. India's tail-end's limited batting capacity has been the team's Achilles heel for quite some time. The latest evidence of India's unimpressive show from the bottom-order unfolded in the opening Test in Leeds. In the first innings, India positioned itself in a place of dominance with 430/3 on the board. However, England made inroads and forced India to pack their bags on 471. A similar situation unfolded in the second innings when tourists gave away their last six wickets for a mere 31 runs to settle for 364. India's batting calamity futher echoed the difference between the top five batters and the bottom six. India's first half was the primary driving force and accumulated 721 runs, courtesy of five centuries. At the same time, the rest could only muster 65 runs, adding to India's agony. India captain Shubman Gill provided a detailed insight into the mindset behind India's approach and the host of changes his side has made for the contest during the toss. 'No Bumrah. Just to manage his workload. We did get a good break, and this is an important match for us. But the third Test being at Lord's, we think there'll be more in that pitch, so we'll use him there. We were tempted to play Kuldeep, but looking at the last match, our lower order didn't do well, so we decided to add some depth to the batting,' Gil said during the time of the toss. India (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Karun Nair, Shubman Gill(c), Rishabh Pant(w), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna. (ANI)
Hindustan Times
13 hours ago
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Gautam Gambhir finally gets support as Gavaskar's logic faces fiery pushback: Washington Sundar 'not a negative move'
Amid the barrage of criticism for making as many as three changes in the playing XI for the second Test match against England in Birmingham, which included resting Jasprit Bumrah and ignoring Kuldeep Yadav again, India head coach Gautam Gambhir finally found support from his former teammate Irfan Pathan. Washington Sundar was picked for the 2nd Test against England The move to deny Kuldeep a spot in the playing XI and select a second spin-bowling all-rounder, Washington Sundar, to strengthen the lower-order batting, left Sunil Gavaskar baffled. He questioned the logic behind Sundar's inclusion, which was explained as a move to strengthen the lower-order batting, which was majorly at fault during India's five-wicket loss in the series opener in Leeds. "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," he said on Sony Sports Network. 'So, where you needed strengthening was in the wicket-taking department, not so much in the batting.' However, Pathan did not buy this narrative. He rather lashed out at the "negative" reaction behind the move to include Sundar. He backed the all-rounder to vindicate the selection with the bat and ball at Edgbaston. MUST READ: Why India, England players are wearing black armbands in Birmingham Test? 'I'm not buying the narrative that playing Washington Sundar is a negative move. It's actually an attempt to fix what's been missing for a while — lower-order resistance. And let's not forget, he will contribute with the ball too. Specially vs English batters,' he tweeted. India also made two other changes in the playing XI, largely to compensate the absence of Bumrah, who was rested to manage his workload. Sai Sudharsan, who made his debut in Leeds, paid the price as he was benched to make way for fast-bowling all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, while Akash Deep replaced the 31-year-old. India trail 0-1 in the series against England, having lost in Leeds.
NDTV
15 hours ago
- Sport
- NDTV
Shubman Gill's Strange Reason Behind Not Picking Kuldeep Yadav For 2nd India vs England Test
Ravichandran Ashwin 's exit from the Indian team seemed to have paved the way for Kuldeep Yadav to cement a spot in India's Test team but India head coach Gautam Gambhir and skipper Shubman Gill seem to have other ideas. Despite being tempted to play second spinner in the second Test against England at Edgbaston, the Gill-Gambhir duo decided to snub Kuldeep, and instead picked Washington Sundar in the team. When asked about the reason behind snubbing Kuldeep, arguably a better spinner than Sundar, Gill cited 'batting depth as the reason'. "We were tempted to play Kuldeep (Yadav) but decided to add some depth to the batting," he said. Earlier, former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif had said that it would be 'unfair' if Kuldeep isn't picked in the team. It will be unfair if Kuldeep Yadav doesn't get into the playing XI for second Test. He has just played 13 Tests in 8 years. Earlier he was kept out because of Ashwin now how do you justify his exclusion. — Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) July 1, 2025 Gautam Gambhir seems to have played a role in Sundar's selection over Kuldeep too. The head coach's admiration for the spin-bowling all-rounder isn't hidden from anyone. It is also well known that Gambhir prefers a utility player like Sundar over a one-dimensional player like Kuldeep. It was also confirmed that India's pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah will return to the playing eleven against England in the third Test at Lord's next week after sitting out of the second match in Edgbaston, captain Shubman Gill said on Wednesday. Bumrah was rested from the second Test, which began here on Wednesday, as part of his workload management. He played in the first Test at Leeds which India lost by five wickets. "Third Test being at Lord's, we think there'll be more in that pitch so we'll use him there," Gill said at the toss for the second game here. The third Test is scheduled to start on July 10. The Indian team management had declared at the start of the series that Bumrah will only play in three Tests out of five.
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Business Standard
2 days ago
- Sport
- Business Standard
IND vs ENG 2nd Test Playing 11: Who makes the cut -Kuldeep, Washy or Reddy?
India are set to make at least one change in their Playing XI for the second Test, which starts on July 2, against England at Edgbaston in Birmingham. India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate said in a press conference that India are all but ready to field two spinners, despite the 11 mm grass on the pitch, two days before the start of the second Test. "There is a very strong chance of playing two spinners. It's just which two we play. And that goes back to the previous question about juggling the batting depth. All three spinners are bowling very nicely." "The wicket's got 11 mm grass on at the moment—11 or 12 mm. But it's quite grassy and patchy. It's quite dry underneath. But there's also rain forecast for Wednesday. So again, trying to weigh up the two options of how we want to go attacking-wise. But I'm pretty sure two spinners will play in this Test." Who will be the second spinner in India's Playing XI? While experts want wicket-taking bowling options in the XI, the latest one can gather from India's net session is that Washington Sundar is likely to pip Kuldeep Yadav to find a place in India's Playing XI. Kuldeep Yadav There was a lot of focus on Sundar during the India practice session on Monday. He bowled extensively alongside senior spinners Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav. Sundar bowled to Indian top-order batters and then worked on his batting against throw-down specialists in the central net, taking occasional breaks before resuming his batting practice. According to net session indications and head coach Gautam Gambhir's preference for fielding an all-round option in the Playing XI, India might go with Sundar. Washington Sundar Why picking Sundar ahead of Kuldeep could backfire? Twenty-five-year-old Sundar's selection could backfire given there is only one left-hander in the England Playing XI. England's right-handed batters could hit Sundar's off-spin through the line, as he is not regarded as a bowler who can generate much turn. Meanwhile, Kuldeep, with his left-arm leg break, could prove effective against the English batters despite their aggressive style. No place for Nitish Reddy if India field two spinners If the Indian team management decides to go with two spinners, then in all likelihood, the star attraction from the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Nitish Reddy, will warm the benches. Washington Sundar and Nitish Kumar Reddy Why India can't play two spinners and Nitish Reddy in the Playing XI? There have been whispers that Jasprit Bumrah might be rested for the second Test to manage his workload. In that case, India will certainly field a pacer, not an all-rounder, as that would not sufficiently strengthen the bowling department, which failed to take 20 wickets in nearly 200 overs in the first Test. Meanwhile, an extra spinner — be it Sundar or Kuldeep — would come into India's Playing XI at the expense of pace-bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur. However, if India fit in Nitish Reddy, then they would have to drop either Sai Sudharsan or Karun Nair from the Playing XI. "Nitish is very close to getting a game. Obviously, he was fantastic in Australia. We just felt, on balance, for the last game, we wanted to go with the bowling all-rounder, and thought Shardul was slightly ahead on the bowling front. We're looking at ways of rejigging the puzzle so we can get a batting all-rounder in. And obviously, Nitish is our premium batting all-rounder at the moment," Doeschate said in a press conference.
NDTV
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- NDTV
'No Magic Wand To Be Like 20-Year-Old, Know Where To Stop': Khushbu Sundar
New Delhi: Actor Khushbu Sundar has pointed at 'fear of missing out' or FOMO as one of the key contributing factors that adds immense strain on the lives of young people and those in the entertainment industry to stay in top shape externally, and in the process fall prey to anxiety, panic attack, depression and a host of other serious health issues. She said there are two kinds of pressures that people in the entertainment industry face - from within, and from outside. When people expect you to look a certain way, present yourself in a certain way, whether it's your makeup or clothes, when they expect you to have a designer, a stylist, etc that's what can be called pressures from within the industry, Mr Sundar told NDTV. "But more than that, I think the pressures are more from the outside world. In today's times, when we talk about social media, this is where the pressure comes from," she said. "... If you're not properly dressed, if one hair is out of place, if your mascara is running down, if you're not wearing your lipstick, then I think the pressure builds up that you don't know how to handle yourself." "All these are on social media. People in the entertainment industry read the comments and that is where the pressure mounts. So more than the pressure from within the industry, I think the pressure from outside the industry, from the so-called social media platforms, are what amount to anxiety and panic attacks, and depression, and the new term they have got called FOMO, fear of missing out," Ms Sundar, who saw early success as a child artist in Bollywood, told NDTV. Her comments come amid the discussions on the death of model-actor Shefali Jariwala. While the exact cause of death is yet to be confirmed, findings from the initial medical examination suggested that self-medication and unsupervised anti-ageing treatments, specifically glutathione and vitamin C, may have triggered the cardiac arrest. Ms Sundar said there was no social media and hence, no pressures of the kind that comes from outside when she was in the industry doing lead roles, and real fans would accept actors as they were. "... We would just wear a salwar or jeans and a kurta and walk out. Nobody would even bother. And the real fans would be there accepting us as we are. But I have seen these pressures on social platforms about body shaming, about the way they looked at my girls when they were growing up," Ms Sundar said, referring to her two daughters and her parenting experience in the age of social media. "I saw the kind of pressure, comments and the way people reacted, so I came out of Facebook and told my girls that they were never going back to Facebook. Neither they nor I have been on Facebook since then. But on Instagram... I saw how my girls were ridiculed when they were growing up. They were big girls, taller than their age, tallest in their class... And probably to me, being a mother, it didn't bother me. But then I have seen the kind of pressure my girls went through," Ms Sundar said. "It was very difficult to make a child understand in their growing up times. But fortunately for me, I was able to handle that and make my children understand that the people who comment, who have these, you know, ideas of being judgmental about the way they look, they're nobody to you. They're absolute strangers. They don't have a face. They don't have a name. You don't know them and you don't have to worry about them. And I was able to put that in my kids' minds. And they're absolutely fine today. They understand how to take the pressure. "I still don't have a designer. I still don't have a makeup artist. I still don't have somebody who is going to style me when I'm walking into an event or a wedding. I do it by myself and I'm very, very comfortable by myself. I think when you start feeling that I'm going to lose out in this so-called societal pressure or the way I have to present myself, when you're not ready to accept the realities of life, I think this is where the problem starts," Ms Sundar told NDTV. She respectfully refrained from commenting on the death of model-actor Shefali Jariwala, and also did acknowledge that people taking an anti-ageing regimen is absolutely fine. "If somebody is happy doing that, there's nothing wrong with it. You know where to stop. That's one thing which you have to learn. You should know where to stop. There are certain things which you start once and it never ends. And that is the fear which I always have. People keep telling me that, oh, you need to get this done. You need to do that. Get that done. I'm saying, let me age gracefully. I have my laugh lines. I have my jowls. I have my crow feet. I'm fine. But if I have to, if I want my skin to glow, if I'm going through a facial, there's nothing wrong with it. "I go to my skin clinic very regularly, get my regular facials done to see if there are any large pores which need to be treated because all this happens with age. But you should know where to stop. You cannot be totally into that and say that I need a magic wand in my hand and I want to be like a 20 year old at this age. No, you can't be. You have to accept it. You have to learn to accept it," Ms Sundar said. She suggested going for a regular master health checkup, especially women, and not to focus only on the external but internal too. "This is what most girls miss because they think only appearance is what counts. What is within does not."
