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India Gazette
an hour ago
- Sport
- India Gazette
Abhishek Nayar reveals Rohit wanted him to work with KL Rahul to bring best out of him
New Delhi [India], June 28 (ANI): Former India assistant coach Abhishek Nayar revealed that ODI captain Rohit Sharma wanted him to work with KL Rahul and bring out a more 'aggressive' outlook as well as the best out of him. Rahul has flummoxed everyone with his technical prowess and impressive artillery. The most recent reminder that Rahul delivered was in the second innings of the opening Test against England at Headingley. Rahul dazzled on the crease with a composed 137 from 247 deliveries, a knock that was a sight for sore eyes. Nayar, who was named in head coach Gautam Gambhir's initial regime, reminisced about the time when former Test captain Rohit asked him to work with Rahul, as the 'Hitman' had a strong belief in the 33-year-old's capability to play a significant role in India. 'When I first picked up that role, I remember I had a conversation with Rohit, and he said that one of the things he was really keen on me doing was working with KL and bringing out a more aggressive outlook to how KL played the game, and bringing the best out of him. Because he believed strongly that KL would play a major role in the Champions Trophy, World Cup and everything going forward, including the BGT [Border-Gavaskar Trophy] and the Tests in England,' Nayar, who was removed from the position after a BCCI review following the 3-1 series loss in Australia, told ESPNcricinfo. Before the BGT series, India squared off against New Zealand in a three-match Test series on home soil. In the series opener, Rahul got out while tickling the delivery that went towards the leg side. In the second, he got out on a peach of a delivery and then witnessed Rishabh Pant and Sarfaraz Khan boss the Kiwis with their flamboyant approach. Eventually, India collapsed and lost the opening Test. Rahul didn't play in the next two Tests as India fell to a historic 3-0 series whitewash. 'I think that was sort of the inception [of our relationship]. Australia was going to be critical for him because it was almost like, what if you didn't get runs there, then where is his career going? Because he was out of the T20 [squad]. Then this could also very well have been his last series,' Nayar said. 'I told him, listen, we've got 15 days to prepare before we go to Australia, and take those ten days there, we have got almost month to prepare - what do you want to do? How do you want to approach this? What is your mindset?' he continued. 'He spoke about what he's been doing and what worked for him in the past. And then I had a certain thought process, which was very different from his. Over hours and hours of conversation and trying to make him understand where I came from, eventually, I got him to a place where he sort of trusted me to do certain things with him in regards to how he practises, in regards to trusting certain changes in his tactics, in regards to his stance, where he stands in the crease, what guard he takes,' Nayar added. Nayar didn't give out the secret sauce and the tweaks he made that allowed Rahul to thrive but gave a sneak peek into the approach that he adopted and said, 'All I can tell you is, the way I've always tried to handle things is to first try and address the skill, and then use skill as a medium to address the mind. That's as much as I can tell you in terms of details.' 'It's about using practice to give his mind reassurance with the plan that we have, and what he needs to do to execute it. And then adding a lot of tactical nuances to that so that it gives him a slight edge when he's batting. So his focus is totally on following and executing those tactical adjustments and nuances rather than focusing on the result of it,' Nayar added. (ANI)
NZ Herald
6 hours ago
- Sport
- NZ Herald
British and Irish Lions v Western Force live updates
Live updates of the opening British and Irish Lions tour match against the Force in Perth. Lions side to face the Force Ireland hooker Dan Sheehan said Thursday he will be his 'chill' self after being named captain for the British and Irish Lions' opening Australian tour game against Western Force in Perth. The 26-year-old Leinster star was a surprise choice to lead the side on his Lions debut, having skippered his country just once. 'It's obviously a massive privilege and honour,' said Sheehan, who will pack down between countryman Tadhg Furlong and Scotland's Pierre Schoeman in the front row on Saturday. 'I just need to be myself, do what I usually do. I'm quite a chill person. I feel like I've got an understanding on who I am and what sort of excites me. 'With the added role of being captain I don't think it changes that much. I'll just bring the boys with me. I'll just let it happen.' Head coach Andy Farrell retained just two players from the side that started the 28-24 loss to Argentina in Dublin last week -- flanker Tadhg Beirne and centre Sione Tuipulotu. Among those rested is tour captain Maro Itoje, who led the side against the Pumas. Farrell has opted to make full use of his squad in the first of nine tour matches, including Tests against the Wallabies in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney. He was without the bulk of his Leinster players against Argentina and they feature heavily against Simon Cron's Force, with nine in the matchday 23. Five starters will be making their Lions debut, as will four on the bench. 'We have had a good week of training and all of the travel and time-zone changes have been managed really well, so we are good to go,' said Farrell. On Sheehan, Farrell said being captain 'will make him a better player because that's the type of character he is, and he's a calming-type influence who understands what pressured situations really look like'. The Lions back row consists of Beirne, former World Rugby player-of-the-year Josh van der Flier and young star Henry Pollock. Scotland ace Finn Russell starts at flyhalf, partnering Welshman Tomos Williams. English veteran Elliot Daly takes on the fullback duties with Mack Hansen and James Lowe on the wings, and Garry Ringrose and Tuipulotu in the centre. 'We know the quality and experience the Force have and the opportunity to play against the Lions always brings out special performances from the Super Rugby sides, so we expect them to be at their best,' added Farrell. On their 2013 Tour, the Lions ran out 69-17 winners against the Force. British and Irish Lions (15-1): Elliot Daly; Mack Hansen, Garry Ringrose, Sione Tuipulotu, James Lowe; Finn Russell, Tomos Williams; Henry Pollock, Josh van der Flier, Tadhg Beirne; Joe McCarthy, Scott Cummings; Tadhg Furlong, Dan Sheehan, Pierre Schoeman
Wales Online
11 hours ago
- Sport
- Wales Online
Nigel Owens: My true feelings on the bunker system and why rugby needs to get serious
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Those who will be watching the Lions this summer will have probably watched the game on Friday. I think some perhaps didn't know how good a side Argentina are, and how they've come along in the last 10 or 15 years. They really are a great, well-coached side now that have beaten some of the very best in the world. So I wouldn't be reading too much into the result, as disappointing as it may have been, but the performance from the Lions was clearly a little bit rusty, and they've got a few weeks now to ramp up that first Test and get the combinations right. At the moment there's a lot of talk about performances of different players. Captain Maro Itjoe probably wasn't at his usual best on the day. As a player, I'd compare Itoje to a sort of Alun Wyn Jones-type. Of all those games he had for Wales, apart from maybe his final season, he was always consistent. Always a top performer and you'd very rarely hear, if ever actually, any comments about a below-par performance from him after a game. He will go down in my view as our greatest second row. For me, Itoje is right up there with him, with the likes of your Paul O'Connells and your Martin Johnsons. Always consistent. Very, very rarely did you hear people having a go at them for having an off day. But by his own standards last week, Itoje wasn't at his best, and it's probably the first time I've heard people talking about a below-par performance from him. As the captain as well, hopefully it was a one-off and I'm sure he'll be back to his best and being the leader we all know he can be during the Tests. You need your skipper to be your talisman and I'm sure he'll get back to that against an Australian side that I think will surprise a few people. They're a talented team and they've got one of the shrewdest and most consistent top coaches in Joe Schmidt as well. In terms of other performances, another that's a bit of a Marmite player with people is Henry Pollock. There's no doubting he's a quality player, but he brings a sort of showmanship to it. Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack to get exclusive news stories and insight from behind the scenes in Welsh rugby. Now, there's nothing wrong with that. It that's what makes you perform then great. But you've got to perform, because once you have an off day, everyone wanting to have a go for that showmanship will jump on that wagon. In terms of the Welsh boys, Tomos Williams came on and did well, while Jac Morgan did decent enough, although no doubt more to come from him. It's great, though, that we were all talking about the game and how good Argentina were, rather than talking about the refereeing. For what's worth, though, I thought James Doleman did a good job. Let's just hope that it will be the same during this tour because it will be those three Tests that will matter. Looking back to that first Test win over South Africa last time around, so much of the talk was about the refereeing and Rassie Erasmus' comments as well, which left a bit of a sour taste from an officiating point of view for the whole series. That's not what we want in the game. As a referee, you just want to get on with it and ensure people are talking about a great game and not about you. That's the sign you've done your job. For this series, there's Andrea Piardi, who did the URC final and did a pretty good job, to be fair to him. Then there's the Georgian referee Nika Amashukeli, and obviously Ben O'Keefe. Three quality referees with plenty of experience overall - and they'll need it because the Lions is the same as the World Cup and Six Nations. When you referee the summer Tests or the Autumn Internationals, no one takes much notice of the officiating. If you make a mistake or have a below-par performance, not much of a fuss is made about it. But if you're in something like the Lions when the whole world is watching, you're scrutinised 10 times as much. So there's a huge amount of pressure on you as a referee when you go into these games. For me, the referees just need to go out there and get it right when it matters. Get the big decisions bang on. Don't worry about the 50-50s, let the game flow. I just hope at the end of the summer, all the talk is about a great series of rugby and not any controversies during it. There's no doubt there will be some talking points, but I just hope it's minimal and we don't have a repeat of what happened after the first Test in South Africa, which doesn't do anybody any good, certainly not the game of rugby. Of course, there's always something that brings about a big debate or something in the office on a Monday morning. Whether it be a try, a particular performance or indeed a refereeing decision. One of the incidents that has been dissected this week has been Immanuel Feyi-Waboso's red card for England against France. I've said in the past that I'm not a big fan of the bunker. I just think that if something's a red card, you'll know it's a red card and you should be down to 14 men for the rest of the game, not 20 minutes. It just feels like the referee doesn't make the decision any more. It's given to someone in the bunker, who on most occasions haven't been anywhere near the field of an international game as a referee, and then he's got to make a decision on what could be a defining moment. Experience and ability is crucial for these big moments and that should be down to the referee on the day. I feel the referee is there because he's the best person to do that job and he should be making that decision. If I was refereeing and I wanted to decide if something was a yellow or a red, I'd be wanting to make that decision myself. I wouldn't want to pass that decision on to someone else. It naturally becomes a talking point then. But for all the noise there's only one person to really blame - and that's the player. You can't go in like that and make a tackle around someone's head or neck. There's no debate about that. Players need to learn or change that behaviour to avoid making those tackles. If players change their behaviour and tackle down lower, then we wouldn't be having these discussions about officiating or the bunker. I don't think the bunker has really prevented players from going in and committing those reckless tackles, either, and ultimately that's what we want. If you want to be serious about it, then a red card should also mean a red card and. In my view, I still think the bans for players should be longer too. It shouldn't be reduced because someone says sorry, or because they agree to a tackling school with probably the same coach that was teaching them how to tackle before. If we want to be serious about it, a six-week ban should be a six-week ban.
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First Post
12 hours ago
- Sport
- First Post
'Aussies are miles ahead': Australia lauded after crushing win against West Indies in 1st Test
Australia thrashed West Indies by 159 runs in the 1st Test at Kensington Oval, with Travis Head, Alex Carey, and Josh Hazlewood starring in a dominant comeback. Fans praised Australia's fighting spirit as they kicked off their WTC campaign in style. read more Australia handed West Indies a big defeat in the first Test at Kensington Oval , winning by 159 runs and going 1-0 up in the three-match series. The match ended on Day 3 itself, after West Indies were bowled out for just 141 in their second innings while chasing a tough target of 301. West Indies fans were hopeful after their team took a small 10-run lead in the first innings thanks to Jayden Seales' five-wicket haul and Shamar Joseph's four-fer. But things went downhill fast after Australia's middle order fired in the second innings. Travis Head (61), Beau Webster (63), and Alex Carey (65) all scored quick runs to take Australia to 310 and set a huge target of 301. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Australia's bowlers then completely dominated the proceedings. Josh Hazlewood was the star with the ball, picking up 5 wickets for 43 runs. Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, and Nathan Lyon gave him good support. West Indies were reduced to 86 for 8 at one point, and the only fight came from Justin Greaves (38 not out) and Shamar Joseph (44). Also Read: 'Pure talent' Jofra Archer backed to make instant impact against India at Edgbaston despite long absence from Tests Fans laud mighty Australians After the match, fans took to social media to laud the Australian team for their impressive performance despite being behind most of the time. Many highlighted how the team always manages to make a comeback even from difficult situations. West Indies tried their best to compete with Australia but the Aussies always have someone or the other playing clutch knocks and rescuing the team 💀 — Dinda Academy (@academy_dinda) June 27, 2025 Aussies are miles ahead. True champion when they are out in the middle of 22 yards . My only worry is what will happen once the current bowling unit retires in phases. I think Boland will also retire without playing much since age is against him. — Srikanth Natarajan (@SrikanthNatara2) June 28, 2025 STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD the only surprise here is that the Windies brought the game to day 3 — Berdz 🇯🇲 (@kingberdz) June 28, 2025 STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Also Read: Vaibhav Suryavanshi carries his red-hot IPL form to England, smashes 48 off 19 while wearing iconic No 18 jersey Australia recently failed to defend their World Test Championship title against South Africa at Lord's. However, they made a brilliant start to the new cycle of the WTC with a massive win. Meanwhile, the second Test will be played in Grenada, starting 3 July.
Indian Express
13 hours ago
- Sport
- Indian Express
Jofra and Jasprit, the speed guns without speed breakers destined to make cricket great again
England's foremost cricket pundit Nasser Hussain thinks Jofra Archer should sit out the Edgbaston Test but train with the team – bowling at nets, jogging during breaks, getting his body Test match ready. Last Sunday, Archer, England's very own Jasprit Bumrah, played a first-class game after 1,500 days. Finally, fit to play the longer format, he bowled 18 overs for Sussex and got a wicket. If you are a 150kph bowler with a sparkling red-ball history that was enough to get a Test recall. But Hussain advises caution, he wants Archer to press restart at Lord's, ironically the Test Bumrah is expected to return to, after his likely miss of the second Test that starts on July 2. At the Home of Cricket, the two diehard Test cricket lovers will terrorise batsmen and for once the lopsided bat-versus-ball contest will be even. Bumrah and Jofra have lost out a lot because of their passion and commitment towards Tests. They could have taken the easy way out, like many of their contemporaries who just focused on white-ball cricket, cut down on workload and earned a lot. But they haven't. Jofra sacrificed money, Bumrah the captaincy. When Jofra was recalled, BBC spoke to his close friend Saqib Mahmood. The two had roomed when they were dealing with similar injuries. 'With Jof the easiest thing for him to have done is just gone purely white ball. He'd have been financially better off and had all of that. But I could always tell he wanted to play Test cricket. I just knew it,' Mahmood said. During the Headingley Test where he took five wickets, Bumrah, at a press conference, expressed his angst when asked about the constant speculation about his injury-ridden future. It's where India's MVP, a captaincy candidate till as recently as the Border Gavaskar Trophy at the end of last year, dropped a line that was about his regret at not being able to be India's long-term captain. It was a rare slip by the guarded professional who weighs every word he utters in public and even maintains a happy expression and positive tone when talking about 'dropped catches.' 'Mann tha, karna bhi tha, but Indian cricket se upar kuch nahi hai. (I wanted it and could do it but there is nothing bigger than Indian cricket),' he said, explaining how the high probability of missing games due to his workload saw him step back. He said it wouldn't be fair to the team, if they can't play all the Tests as it would impact continuity. Can we declare Jasprit Bumrah a national treasure already? 😅 #SonySportsNetwork #GroundTumharaJeetHamari #ENGvIND #NayaIndia #DhaakadIndia #TeamIndia — Sony Sports Network (@SonySportsNetwk) June 22, 2025 Fast bowlers, the ones putting their body on the line to pursue real speed, are a different breed. Always risking career-threatening injury, they are known to live on the edge. They are cricket's fighter jocks, the proud men who walk around the dressing room with a swagger. The team's popular stars, the batsmen keep a distance from them, but they know their importance. In contrast, the pacers mock the team's star batsmen, they are to them what boyband artists are to hardened rock stars. Even when Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were in the team, no one fooled around with Bumrah. Jofra's mate Mahmood says there are a few no-go areas for him too. While the two trained, they would keep comparing his calf muscles. Jofra would have a retort that only those in 'Club 150' could possibly offer with a comeback line. 'What's the fastest you have bowled?' In a game in the early part of IPL, Jofra, turning up for Rajasthan Royals, took a serious beating. Against SunRisers Hyderabad, he went for 76 in four overs. It proved to be the most expensive IPL spell. Ishan Kishan and Travis Head were responsible for the nightmarish figures. 90 seconds of Jofra Archer being absolutely RAPID 🔥 Happy birthday, @jofraarcher 🎂 — England Cricket (@englandcricket) April 1, 2024 RR coach, the Kiwi speedster Shane Bond, saw how the game impacted Jofra. 'There's no doubt he was hurting a bit. I think that's a credit to how quickly he bounced back. He got back to the training ground, trained brilliantly, was really focused and knew what he wanted to do and had to do,' Bond told the BBC. By the end of the season, that spell was forgotten as Archer ended with 11 wickets. Bumrah too doesn't take injudicious batting adventurism kindly. In the 2024-25 BGT, the young Aussie opener Sam Konstas, their Ishan Kishan, riled Bumrah with his batting bravado. By the end of the tour, the Aussies were rethinking their opening options. The uncertainty over the fitness, and at times even about their pace, has resulted in the two getting targeted by fans. There was a time when it was said that Bumrah would miss India games because of his health but would get magically match-fit during IPL. Jofra too faced taunts during his long recovery and rehabilitation when ECB stood by him. There were comments that Jofra was on the longest paid holiday. Though, used to such sly sledges, there comes a point when it hurts. 'You try to not let it get to you but you can ignore 100 of them but sometimes that 101st is the straw that breaks the camel's back,' he once said. But Jofra would take criticism as motivation. Something that even Bumrah too is good at. Though the pacer now has legions of fans and is considered the team's rare match winner, his every injury coincides with some doomsday prediction. Bumrah, the other day, laughed at the regularity with which he gets written off. 'Everybody is free to write whatever they want. It doesn't matter to me. If those thoughts come into my mind, I will start believing it. I get dictated by what I believe in,' he says. 'I have played cricket on my belief since people have said 'no' to me all my life. First they said you wouldn't be able to play, next they said you will play for 6 months, after 8 months … now I have finished 10 years of international cricket.' And then he would get philosophical, he talks about barkat – the divine favour. 'I prepare the best I can and after that I leave it to the almighty. My barkat will decide how much I play,' he said. Here's hoping Lord's extends divine favour to the two men working towards making Tests great again.
