Latest news with #SydneyTest
Pink Villa
27-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Pink Villa
How did Cheteshwar Pujara meet his soulmate Puja Pabari? All about the journey of a cricketer's wife
When Puja Pabari first sat down with Arvind Pujara, Cheteshwar's father, she assumed the meeting was nothing more than family formality. In an ESPNcricinfo interview with Grace Hayden, they couple revealed that their courtship began not with grand gestures but with a candid conversation and mutual curiosity. Within ninety minutes, 'it felt like we were just two good friends,' Puja recalls in the interview. Over the following six weeks, daily calls cemented a relationship neither had anticipated. Today, as they approach their thirteenth wedding anniversary, Puja's debut book lays bare every milestone: from engagement whispers in Mumbai to sleepless nights in Australia's Covid bubble. How did the Pujaras' meet? Puja didn't recognize Cheteshwar's name when her parents arranged the match in autumn 2012. She met his father, Arvind Pujara, first as Cheteshwar was out for a match. She had initially theorized that he was 'not interested' because of this. When she later met the cricketer, her thoughts changed as she found the conversation 'candid, honest' and free of any checklist. Cheteshwar, who had been touring, welcomed Puja's fresh perspective. 'I wanted to marry someone for who she is rather than the fame I have,' he told Grace Hayden. After an hour-and-a-half chat, they committed to getting to know each other over the next month and a half. Their engagement followed on November 6, 2012; marriage on February 13, 2013, when she took up the surname Pujara. Cheteshwar and Puja found strength in adversity As Pujara's Test career climbed, Puja's role evolved beyond spectator. During the lows of 2014, when Cheteshwar was under pressure and scrutiny, she studied nutrition to help improve his fitness and offered steady emotional support—never overstepping, but always present. She said she knew she had to 'just be there for him the way he needs me to be.' In early 2018, when their daughter Aditi was ten months old and Cheteshwar faced a family medical emergency mid-series in Australia: his father needed to get an ablation procedure done. Puja balanced hospital visits with match updates—all while nurturing a newborn. Meanwhile, Cheteshwar had not been told about the matter until the test started. He states, 'I didn't know anything about my father's health. I only got to know on the second day of the Sydney Test.' He found himself under a lot of pressure, wondering if he should return: 'Do I need to travel back? But she assured me that she was in charge. She knew what she was doing.' His faith in her abilities allowed him to score over a century during the Sydney Test. Later, during the pandemic-bound 2020-21 tour, Puja also endured marathon days watching him absorb relentless bouncers at the Gabba Test, 'sweating and shivering' through every session, yet trusted him to focus on his job. Behind the scenes of the book Puja has been journaling since 2013 and granted her husband full editorial freedom. Cheteshwar admits he felt 'nervous' opening the manuscript, but reading her accounts of their arranged-marriage genesis and shared trials moved him deeply. In the author's note of the book The Diary of a Cricketer's Wife: A Very Unusual Memoir, she writes: 'If a smile can do a job, he prefers not to speak. Secretive, yet with nothing to hide…He does not know how to relax, but is always at peace.' The book unveils what the Pujara's partnership grew into what it is today, and how it's been defined by quiet loyalty.
Hindustan Times
26-06-2025
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Jofra walks in even as Bumrah thinks about a rest
Mumbai: Three years ago in the IPL, it came ever so close for Jasprit Bumrah and Jofra Archer to be paired together by Mumbai Indians as the most attractive fast bowling tag team to watch; most feared, if you were an opposing batter. As fate would have it, the pairing never came to pass. Blame it on their injury-prone bodies. Pacer Jofra Archer returns to the England Test squad after an absence of over four years. (AFP) With England naming Archer in their squad for the second Test at Edgbaston on Thursday, but Bumrah likely to rest, there is a strong possibility that two premier pacers might just give each other the miss the hope is that it will happen at some point. With the Indian batting side lacking some star power, the Boom and Jofra show could further spice up the five-Test series that got off to a spectacular start with the hosts taking the lead through a fast-paced fourth innings run-chase on the fifth day at Leeds. Archer and Bumrah have played some IPL cricket in opposing jerseys but the two have faced off only twice before in Test cricket. That was back in 2021 in the spin friendly conditions of Chennai and Ahmedabad. To see the two pacers, both capable of extracting steep bounce or delivering toe-crushing yorkers from misleading short run ups, can be an uplifting experience. Just to see them go all out in front of packed houses in England could infuse fresh life into a format that needs all the help it can get. For the two proud bowlers, it's an opportunity to showcase their wider range of skills. Both are familiar with the quirks of the Dukes ball – more seam than swing to begin with, followed by a window to move it in the air until the ball goes soft, the art of extracting movement with the changing weather patterns. Archer's inclusion will certainly test the Indian batting more, but it may also get Bumrah's competitive juices flowing, energizing him further. Bumrah may rest in Edgbaston However, fans may have to wait a little longer for the duo's much-awaited confrontation, till at least the third Test at Lord's. Unless the Indian team management is selling everyone a dummy, the pre-series plan, one understands, was for Bumrah to play alternate Test matches. The Indian speedster who dropped out of the captainship race well before the series to manage his workload is known to have had discussions with the team management for him to play at Lord's. It's unlikely, in any case, that Bumrah would play both the second and third Test with limited turnaround time. Besides, the Indian think tank may want Bumrah's experience to deal with the pronounced slope at Lord's. While Bumrah is having to pick and choose matches after his latest round of back trouble during the Sydney Test in January, he's still risen to become the best fast bowler of his time. Archer's troubles with injuries - some freak, others more serious - have meant his Test career has been limited to 13 matches over six years. He's had a back stress fracture, a troubling elbow issue, and more recently a cut with a kitchen knife to go with a previous glass cut from a broken fish tank. 'I'm glad to just finish a day of four-day cricket,' he told Sussex Cricket last Sunday when he turned up for the county to trial his red ball workload. 'Last time I played (2021), I just made it to tea, so I'm glad to go all the way. 'When the scoreboard got to 50 overs, I was, like, 'Jesus, time to come off now! But it wasn't too bad. Doing it session-by-session was okay.' Experts like former England captain Michael Vaughan have therefore cautioned that Archer should play another county match to be sure he can cope with the intensity of Test cricket on return. Bowling heft Both Archer and Bumrah's presence gives their respective bowling attacks much respectability. Even the home side's pacers were not all that threatening in the series opener at Leeds with Ben Stokes the pick of the lot, through his short bursts. Chris Woakes got only one wicket, Josh Tongue mostly accounted for Indian tailenders by bowling straight and Brydon Carse didn't look particularly threatening on the batting friendly surface. If this continues to be England's template to lay India low with pitches lacking life, they could do with Archer's inspired spells. Bumrah was India's best bowler on show in the first innings at Leeds. He had a rare wicket-less outing in the second innings but still showed the bowling discipline that was clearly lacking in the rest of India's pacers. When Bumrah is playing, India seems to come into the contest. Having the wood over Joe Root, throwing punches against their prolific openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett are reasons enough to challenge the home side. In the two Test matches Bumrah would miss in the series, India would have to identify alternatives. Whether they seek Akash Deep's control or Arshdeep Singh's different angle, it's most likely they will introduce Kuldeep Yadav's mystery to give England something to think about.
Sydney Morning Herald
25-06-2025
- Sport
- Sydney Morning Herald
Australia's top order suffer major collapse against West Indies as Joseph reproduces Gabba form
Bridgetown: Australia's tour of the West Indies has started in shaky fashion after a top-order collapse and a sensational spell from local hero Shamar Joseph on day one of the first Test in Barbados. After winning the toss and electing to bat on a favourable pitch at Kensington Oval, Australia were bowled out for 180 in just 56.5 overs – their lowest first innings total against the West Indies in a Test since 1995. Last year, Joseph spearheaded the West Indies to their first win on Australian soil in 27 years. On a warm Wednesday in the Caribbean, Joseph was back to his destructive best, removing young gun Sam Konstas (3), new No.3 Cameron Green (3), all-rounder Beau Webster (11) and then opener Usman Khawaja (47) in a superb display of fast-bowling in front of his home fans. Joseph also thought he had Head caught behind to secure a five-wicket haul – he punched the air in delight – but the third umpire deemed the ball did not carry. The Guyanese paceman finished with impressive figures of 4-46 off 16 overs, while opening bowling partner Jayden Seales bagged 5-60 after running through Australia tail. Head top-scored for Australia with 59, while Usman Khawaja (47) and Pat Cummins (28) were the only other batsmen to make more than 11. Australia's new World Test Championship cycle began in disastrous fashion as the visitors slumped to 3-22 in the 16th over in front of hundreds of travelling Australian fans enjoying the sights and sounds of the Caribbean. Konstas' first opportunity at the top of the order since the Sydney Test in January ended early when he was trapped in front by Joseph for three off 14 balls. It was simply a case of not getting bat on ball as replays showed the ball hitting the top of leg stump.
Time of India
20-06-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
Cheteshwar Pujara mocks Michael Vaughan's 4-0 prediction on Live TV, demands signature on failed post
Cheteshwar Pujara and Michael Vaughan NEW DELHI: Out-of-favour India batter Cheteshwar Pujara took a light-hearted dig at former England captain Michael Vaughan by asking him to autograph a framed copy of his incorrect prediction from the 2020–21 India-Australia Test series. The cheeky moment unfolded in the studio ahead of the first Test between India and England at Headingley, Leeds, on Friday, June 20. Pujara surprised Vaughan by presenting him with a printed version of his old post on social media, in which Vaughan had confidently predicted a 4-0 whitewash of India in Australia. Both Pujara and Vaughan are part of the commentary panel for the ongoing five-match Test series. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! The exchange left fellow commentators, including Sunil Gavaskar and Harsha Bhogle, thoroughly amused. Vaughan's tweet had read: "Told ya … India are going to get hammered in the Test Series … #AUSvIND #4-0." India famously defied that prediction, clinching the series 2-1 despite the absence of key players like Mohammed Shami and captain Virat Kohli . The team drew the Sydney Test and chased down 328 on the final day at Brisbane to seal one of its most historic overseas series wins. In the first Test currently underway at Leeds, England captain Ben Stokes won the toss and opted to bowl first. India handed a debut to Sai Sudharsan, while Karun Nair made his comeback to the Test team after eight years. England, meanwhile, fielded a relatively inexperienced bowling attack, with frontline pacers Jofra Archer, Mark Wood, and Gus Atkinson unavailable due to injuries. True to form, Vaughan has once again backed England to win the series, but Indian fans remain hopeful under new Test captain Shubman Gill. Shubman's Big Test Begins! India's Probable XI & Stokes' Mind Games | ENG vs IND 1st Test Preview India's last Test series win in England came in 2007, when Rahul Dravid led the team to a 1-0 victory. Their most recent tour in 2021–22 ended in a 2-2 draw. While England has maintained an unbeaten home Test series record under Ben Stokes's leadership since mid-2022, the current challenge is compounded by their depleted bowling unit. India will be eyeing their first Test series win on English soil in 17 years, while England look to preserve their formidable home record under Stokes. Game On Season 1 kicks off with Sakshi Malik's inspiring story. Watch Episode 1 here
Hindustan Times
17-06-2025
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Virat Kohli called for a meeting with Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant and others in London, spoke to them for 2 hours: Report
June 20 will mark the dawn of a new era in Indian Test cricket, with young Shubman Gill leading the side in their first match since the sudden retirements of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. The five-match series against England begins at Headingley, Leeds, as India look to rebuild in the UK. While Rohit's decision was widely speculated since he had dropped himself in the Sydney Test against Australia earlier this year amid a horrid run over four months in red-ball cricket, Kohli's announcement came as a huge shocker. For the legend who has been synonymous with Test cricket, which he always held as the ultimate format even amid the changing dynamics in world cricket, Kohli's retirement at just 36, especially just a month before the series in England, was expected by only a few. Despite his retirement, Kohli is expected to keep an eye on the proceedings in the England series, which was evident from a report in a RevSportz video claiming that he invited the new Test captain Shubman Gill, his deputy Rishabh Pant and a few others to his residence in London just days before the opener in Leeds. India had an off day on Monday following the conclusion of the intra-squad match in Kent, so the players were available for a meet-up with Kohli. While the report did not clarify what the meeting was about, with speculations ranging from talks about the upcoming series, to how Gill and Pant could marshal the young troop, it did reveal that the discussion lasted close to two hours. The Indian team is expected to reach Leeds on Tuesday, where head coach Gautam Gambhir will meet the squad. The former India cricketer had left England to return home for a personal reason. The side will be expected to train in the city over the next two days. RevSportz had also reported on Monday that fast bowler Harshit Rana was asked to stay back in England after the intra-squad match. He was earlier overlooked for the five-match series, having made his debut in Australia, where he played just two matches. Rana was in England with the India A squad, and played just one game against the Lions, where he picked a solitary wicket and scored 16 runs.
