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No water, no roof – fans reel from the heat in Pune

admin — Thu, 24 Oct 2024 15:01:20 +0000

No access to water for spectators at the MCA Stadium on a hot and humid day in Pune led to chaos and complaints of sickness among the fans who came to watch the first day of the second Test between India and New Zealand.

During the lunch break, hundreds of spectators queued up near the North Stand for water, which was unavailable at the time. Police intervention was needed to manage that crowd. Around 20 people complained of dehydration and giddiness and needed attention at the first-aid kiosk at the North Stand. With temperatures over 30 degrees celsius, a member of the staff at that kiosk suggested that there were more cases of dehydration in other stands.

The MCA stadium, located in the outskirts of Pune near the expressway to Mumbai, has a capacity of 37,000, and almost 18,000 spectators turned up for the third Test match at the venue and first since 2019. More than half of those spectators had to brave the heat and humidity as only six stands at the MCA stadium have a roof.

The MCA had promised free water during this game, but amid the chaos, a number of fans ended up buying water from vendors at high prices. One fan said he had spent more on water bottles than his ticket for the entire Test match.

Once water was made available to the spectators the MCA secretary Kamlesh Pisal apologised to the fans and said that more water booths would be set up across the stands from Friday.

“We can only apologise to the fans for inconvenience caused,” Pisal told reporters. “But we want to assure them, through MCA, that this won’t be repeated, and everything will be taken care of.

“Considering the scorching heat, we had decided to provide cold water. In our previous experience, the fans had complained about us providing warm water or boiling water. We, as management, thought we would provide them with cold water, so we had kept cool cages. Once the water in cool cages finished, we tried to refill it with the same cold water, and in that process, it got delayed. We have done a recce of the entire water in stands and will make sure everything is refilled properly tonight to avoid such situations.”

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Washington’s strikes push New Zealand back on stroke of tea

admin — Thu, 24 Oct 2024 09:17:17 +0000

Tea New Zealand 201 for 5 (Mitchell 16*, Ashwin 3-48, Washington 2-34) vs India

India called up a second offspinner from outside the squad ostensibly to lengthen their batting without compromising on taking the ball away from left-hand batters; the said offspinner combined with the existing offspinner to drag New Zealand back even though two left-hand batters scored half-centuries to pull ahead.

After losing what turned out to be a good toss to lose in Bengaluru, New Zealand won an important toss on what pundits believe will become a turner in due course. Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra then made good use of the conditions while they were still good to bat in.

R Ashwin, India’s lead offspinner, took three wickets, but it was the big wicket of Ravindra to Washington Sundar 10 minutes before tea that brought India right back into the contest. He then followed it up by bowling Tom Blundell through the gate with what proved to be the last ball before tea. Ashwin’s three wickets took him past Nathan Lyon’s 530, in 25 fewer Tests. The two could be involved in a showdown later in the year, in Australia, but right now India were in a fight to defend their 18-series winning streak at home.

On a pitch with much less bounce, batters could commit forward against the quicks, who anyway didn’t find any movement off the surface. Ashwin’s introduction brought India immediate success, but India didn’t really create chances from both ends for long enough to take quick wickets. Every now and then, though, the ball turned from the good length, just like Washington did to go past Ravindra, which suggested batting last was not going to be easy.

Nothing is ever easy in Test cricket, but this was one of the easier starts to an innings with the openers racing to 30 in seven overs without any trouble. It took Ashwin just five balls to drift one in and then turn it past the outside edge to trap Tom Latham lbw.

This ball turned from the straight, but the turn wasn’t yet consistent or threatening. Conway managed to sweep well, and also picked runs off the back foot as Ashwin and Washington Sundar bowled with in-out fields. Twenty of his 76 runs came through sweeps and reverse-sweeps.

The partnership between Conway and Will Young looked threatening, but a sharp review demanded by short leg Sarfaraz Khan returned a faint touch of the glove to send Young back. Now Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja kept troubling the batters: in the 11 overs they bowled in tandem, they drew 24 false shots and conceded just 30 runs.

Post-lunch, when India started with Jasprit Bumrah and Washington, runs came freely: 35 off the eight overs. Ashwin then brought control first and then the wicket of Conway. Again the ball turned, but this time it was the drift and dip that put Conway out of position, and the turn made him look like pushing at a ball he didn’t need to play.

Ravindra, Player of the Match in Bengaluru, brought New Zealand much-needed solidity because Daryl Mitchell was extremely uncertain at the start of his innings. He survived an lbw on umpire’s call, played risky sweeps of both kinds, and only looked comfortable after 20 balls or so.

Ravindra, though, gave the bowlers nothing. Akash Deep got close to getting him with at short midwicket but the hit was too ferocious to catch for a fielder so close. An outside edge after two bouncers managed to beat slip and brought up his fifty.

Given a third spell just before tea, Washignton found turn from middle and off to take the top of off. Things began to happen now, and Washington, perhaps guilty of being too quick at times, slowed it down to drag Blundell wide and turn the ball in for the classic offspinner’s dismissal.

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India’s invincibility under threat as NZ look to complete the impossible

admin — Wed, 23 Oct 2024 13:58:57 +0000

Big picture

India have been here before. It hasn’t happened all that often in the recent past, but they’ve been 1-0 down in a home Test series. It happened against Australia in 2017, and then against England in 2021 and 2024. All three times, they came back to win the series.

Both those series, however, were four Tests long. India’s current generation have never really been in the situation they are in now against New Zealand: 1-0 down at home, with only two Tests to go.

It puts them under immense pressure. Beating India in India remains the toughest challenge in Test cricket today, but away teams over the last two years have been winning Tests here more frequently than they used to. It’s a sign, perhaps, of one era transitioning into another, a reminder of the cricketing mortality of R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.

This doesn’t change the fact, however, that India remain overwhelming favourites when the second Test begins on Thursday. New Zealand won in Bengaluru, yes, but they won via the perfect storm brewed up by the weather and a deceptive pitch that led India to make what turned out to be the wrong toss and selection calls for those conditions. New Zealand were themselves poised to make the same toss call had Tom Latham called correctly.

It isn’t often that a visiting side shows up for a Test match in India and finds conditions that suit them more than the home side. Before Bengaluru 2024, it had perhaps happened twice in this century: Nagpur 2004 and Ahmedabad 2008.

Pune will not be like Bengaluru. India have made every effort possible to restore to this series the one major ingredient it had lacked up to this point: home advantage. The specifics of how the Pune pitch will behave will only become clear when the match begins, but the broad outline is likely to be a lot less help for New Zealand’s quicks, and a lot more room for India to maximise the superior skill and control of their spin attack. It won’t guarantee the result they want, not against this superb New Zealand side, but whether they win, lose or draw, India will journey to their fate on something like their own terms.

Form guide

India LWWWW (last five Tests, most recent first)
New Zealand WLLLL

In the spotlight – Shubman Gill and Glenn Phillips

Shubman Gill has found a new level as a Test batter since his move to No. 3 last year, averaging 43.23 across 11 matches and scoring three hundreds. He got through a regular workload in the nets in the lead-up to the second Test, suggesting he will return to India’s line-up after missing the Bengaluru Test with a stiff neck. With Gill back at No. 3, India’s batting order will wear a far more settled look, with the names below his back in their natural habitats.

Since his return to New Zealand’s Test side in December 2023, Glenn Phillips has taken 23 wickets in nine Tests at an average of 26.47. Of all spinners with at least 15 wickets in this time, only Keshav Maharaj, Nathan Lyon and India’s big three have better averages. It’s quite a record for an offspinner who was until recently considered a part-timer. Phillips bowled 15 second-innings overs in Bengaluru and picked up the wicket of Virat Kohli. He may have to get through a bigger workload on a more helpful pitch in Pune, even if New Zealand bolster their spin attack, and could have quite an influence on the game if he can chip in with a big wicket or two. His ability to score quickly down the order could be handy too, handier still if it’s a low-scoring Test.

Team news – Sarfaraz vs Rahul, Southee vs O’Rourke?

India have two major decisions to make with regards to their XI. With Gill set to return, they will have to leave out either KL Rahul, who has fairly good returns across a small sample size – a century and two fifties in six Tests – since his middle-order move late last year, and Sarfaraz Khan, who scored a rollicking second-innings hundred in Bengaluru. There’s also the question of the second seamer: should Akash Deep, who has looked like a natural in Indian conditions in his brief Test career so far, come in for Mohammed Siraj, whose 13 home Tests have brought him just the 19 wickets at 36.15? A dry pitch is expected to provide ample assistance to the spinners, so India will most likely stick to playing three of them. They have no major reason yet to look beyond the trio of Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin and Kuldeep Yadav, even if Washington Sundar and Axar Patel make compelling cases as allrounders.

India: 1 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2 Rohit Sharma (capt), 3 Shubman Gill, 4 Virat Kohli, 5 Rishabh Pant (wk), 6 KL Rahul/Sarfaraz Khan, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Jasprit Bumrah, 11 Mohammed Siraj/Akash Deep.

Despite being 1-0 up, New Zealand may have the more difficult selection to make than India, because it may involve a change in the make-up of their Bengaluru attack. Conditions in Pune are set to be far less conducive to swing and seam bowling, which means New Zealand may have to think of leaving out one of their three quicks – potentially Tim Southee, their ex-captain, or Will O’Rourke, who took seven wickets in Bengaluru – and bring in an extra spinner. This could either be the left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner or the legspinner Ish Sodhi, who has come into the squad with Michael Bracewell released on paternity leave.

New Zealand 1 Tom Latham (capt), 2 Devon Conway, 3 Will Young, 4 Rachin Ravindra, 5 Daryl Mitchell, 6 Tom Blundell (wk), 7 Glenn Phillips, 8 Mitchell Santner, 9 Tim Southee/Will O’Rourke, 10 Matt Henry, 11 Ajaz Patel.

Pitch and conditions

After losing in entirely un-Indian conditions at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, India have gone to great lengths to prepare a track that theoretically minimises the damage New Zealand’s quicks can cause. A slow, low turner is in the offing, and spinners can expect increasing help as the Test match progresses with sunny weather expected on all five days in Pune.

Stats and trivia

After losing just two home Tests in the ten years from 2013 to 2022, India have lost three in the next two years.
KL Rahul is 19 runs away from the 3000 mark in Test cricket. Of all batters to have scored at least 3000 runs since his debut, only Mominul Haque and Kraigg Brathwaite have lower averages than Rahul’s current figure of 33.87.
Before 2023, Matt Henry had 53 wickets in 17 Tests at an average of 40.24. Since the start of 2023, he has transformed his Test career, taking 50 wickets in just nine Tests at 21.26.

Quotes

“No, we are not even thinking of giving anyone game time. All we are concentrating on are these two Test matches [against New Zealand]. And these two Test matches are very, very important to us. As important as any other Test match, be it in India or in Australia.”
India head coach Gautam Gambhir when asked if India would pick Akash Deep in order to give him game time ahead of the Australia tour

“It’s important that we take the focus, the confidence from that [Bengaluru] game, and bring it into this game, but realise that we both start on zero, both teams start on zero tomorrow.”
New Zealand captain Tom Latham

Karthik Krishnaswamy is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo

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Gautam Gambhir backs KL Rahul, but will he play in Pune?

admin — Wed, 23 Oct 2024 09:19:42 +0000

India coach Gautam Gambhir has vehemently backed KL Rahul to come good amid mounting scrutiny on his recent form in Test cricket. After making a duck in India’s 46 all out in the first innings of the Bengaluru Test, Rahul was dismissed for 12 in the second as India lost to New Zealand by eight wickets.

“You don’t pick players on social media because of social media or for that matter even what the experts are saying,” Gambhir said on while addressing Rahul’s form on the eve of the second Test in Pune. “What the team management thinks and what the leadership group thinks is very, very important. Ultimately, everyone is judged.

“International cricket is all about being judged, to be honest, because everyone’s performance will be judged eventually. But I feel that he [Rahul] is batting really well. Obviously, he has had a decent knock in Kanpur [against Bangladesh] obviously, on a difficult wicket. And obviously, he played according to the plans as well. And I am sure, I think, he would also be knowing that he wants to score big runs and he has that capability of scoring runs. That’s why he has been backed by the team management.”

While Rahul has built a strong body of work overseas – he has hundreds in South Africa, England and Australia – his average of 33.87 is the lowest among all specialist batters to have played at least 50 Tests for India.

With Shubman Gill, who missed the first Test because of neck stiffness, set to bat at No. 3 in Pune, India will have to make a choice between Rahul and Sarfaraz Khan, who scored his maiden Test century in Bengaluru. Sarfaraz, who took a short break after the first Test because of the birth of his child, rejoined the India side and trained in Pune on Wednesday.

While Sarfaraz might have the edge over Rahul after his 150 in Bengaluru, Gambhir did not reveal which way the team was leaning.

India also have another choice to make between left-arm wristspinner Kuldeep Yadav and offspin allrounder Washington Sundar, who was added to squad after the defeat in Bengaluru. Apart from boosting India’s spin stocks on a dry, black-soil surface, Washington could add depth to the batting line-up. In his most recent red-ball game, in the second round of the Ranji Trophy, he made 152 at No. 3 for Tamil Nadu against Delhi.

“We just felt that probably they [New Zealand] have four or five left-handers in the playing XI,” Gambhir said of Washington’s inclusion in the squad. “That if we want to have another bowler who can take the ball away from the left-handers, it is always going to be useful for us. But we haven’t still decided what is going to be the playing XI.

“We believe that probably there are two [left-hand] opening batters and Rachin [Ravindra] in the middle order. So, we feel that if Washy can give us more control in the middle, it is always going to be good for us.”

While managing the workload of the fast bowlers remains a priority for India’s team management heading into a five-Test tour of Australia, Gambhir suggested it won’t be done when the series is on the line against New Zealand in Pune and when crucial World Test Championship (WTC) points are at stake. For India to seal their place in the WTC final, irrespective of other results, they need at least four wins and one draw (52 points) in their remaining seven Tests, which will give them 65.79 percentage points.

Gambhir, though, said the team was monitoring the workload of Jasprit Bumrah, who has played each of India’s three Tests so far in this home season.

“Once the [New Zealand Test] series is over, we still have around 10 or 12 days before the Test starts in Australia,” Gambhir said. “So, that’s enough break for our fast bowlers. But we will still monitor after the Test match where Jasprit Bumrah is. But it’s not only about Jasprit Bumrah. It’s about all the fast bowlers. We want to keep them fresh. We know that obviously we’ve got a long tour and an important tour of Australia.

“But workload management will definitely depend on what the outcome of this Test match is and how much have they bowled in this Test match.”

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Pant and Gill likely to be fit to play Pune Test

admin — Tue, 22 Oct 2024 08:58:24 +0000

India are also hopeful of Pant returning to action as a wicketkeeper as they aim to bounce back from the defeat in the series opener in Bengaluru.

Pant hurt his knee on the second day of the Test when he was attempting to stump Devon Conway in the 37th over of New Zealand’s innings. He failed to collect the ball and copped a blow. He winced in pain and went off the field straightaway. Dhruv Jurel took the gloves from Pant and kept for the rest of the first innings and the 27.4 overs of New Zealand’s second innings.

Gill had missed the Bengaluru Test with neck stiffness.

“Rishabh’s pretty good,” ten Doeschate said. “I think Rohit [Sharma] touched on it the other day. He was having a little bit of discomfort at the end range of his movement with the knee. But fingers crossed he’ll be good to keep in this Test as well.

“He’s batted last week in Bangalore, he had a few nets,” ten Doeschate said of Gill. “He’s got a little bit of discomfort, but I’ll think he will be good to go for the Test.”

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Shami ‘100%’ pain free, but wants to play domestic cricket before Australia tour

admin — Mon, 21 Oct 2024 10:56:36 +0000

India fast bowler Mohammed Shami is now “100%” pain-free and wants to play one or two Ranji Trophy games to try and be fit for the tour of Australia that will start at the end of November. Shami is on the road to recovery after sustaining an ankle injury that has kept him out of action since the ODI World Cup final last year, and was seen bowling full tilt at the Chinnaswamy Stadium on Sunday after the first Test between India and New Zealand.

Shami said that was the first time he had bowled with a full run-up since his recovery.

“It felt great yesterday because I had been bowling with half a run-up on and off since I can’t put too much stress on my body,” he said during an event organised by Eugenix Hair Sciences in Gurugram. “Yesterday, we decided that I would bowl properly, and I gave my 100%. It felt great, [and] the results are good. Hopefully, I’ll be back on track soon.”

When asked if he was pain-free now, having undergone surgery in February, Shami said, “100%”. Shami has exactly a month to try and be fit for the first Test against Australia beginning on November 22.

“The Australia series is still far away,” he said. “The only thing I want to focus on is how to keep myself fit, and how strong I can be before going there. I know what kind of an attack we want for that Test series, so it’s better I spend some more time on the ground before going. If I get fit and I get a gap of eight to ten days, then it’s better I play one or two domestic matches before going to Australia.

“I don’t know when I can play next, but the day I feel comfortable about bowling 20-30 overs and I get the nod from the doctors, I’ll run to play a match. I want to spend as much time as I can on the ground before going for the Australia series.

“I don’t want such a thing that I clear my fitness here and something happens to me there. That’s not what I want. I want to be strong while leaving from here so that there are no issues there.”

Shami represents Bengal in domestic cricket and their next Ranji Trophy fixture might be too soon for him to play, beginning October 26 at home. Their two subsequent games after that are from November 6 against Karnataka in Bengaluru and from November 13 in Indore against Madhya Pradesh, which will mark the end of the first leg of the red-ball tournament. If Shami does regain match fitness next month, he could also aim to play the three-day warm-up game slotted between India and India A in Perth before the first Test starts in the same city.

“It’s very difficult to come back on track after an injury so patience is the biggest thing. Injuries teach you patience and that makes your skill purer.”

Mohammed Shami

Shami had similarly spent months off the field immediately after the 2015 World Cup when an ankle injury troubled him and he had missed the IPL that year too, like in 2024. Having not played a single game in nearly a year, Shami said the one thing such injuries had taught him was patience.

“Don’t get frustrated and focus as much as you can on fitness and game,” he said about spending months off the field. “It’s very difficult to come back on track after an injury so patience is the biggest thing. Injuries teach you patience and that makes your skill purer.

“Fitness is the main thing [you have to focus on in recovery]. You shouldn’t doubt your skill and talent when you’re away because certain things are built in you. I agree you need something like rhythm but your skill will never leave you. It’s your fitness you have to fight for.”

Shami had played a crucial role in India’s first-ever Test series win in Australia in 2018-19, when he bagged 16 wickets in four matches at 26.18, finishing behind only Jasprit Bumrah’s tally of 21 wickets among fast bowlers in that series. He played just the first Test, in Adelaide, when India toured next in 2020-21 before he returned home with an injury. India went on to win that series with several other players also injured, and fielded a nearly second-string side in Brisbane to take home the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Shami said India’s pace attack, which also features Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj, instils fear in the opposition because of the pace and variety the three bowlers offer.

“We have worked as a unit since 2014,” Shami said. “India never had three bowlers at a time who could bowl over 140kph. Maybe two at max. Now we even have some on the bench who can bowl 145kph. Every opponent waits for one easy kind of bowler, but that’s how you create fear that all our bowlers are 145kph and have different kind of skills. And we showed how to fight when we toured overseas. Earlier we used to be on the safe side or our pace attack wasn’t that aggressive. This generation knows how to pay it back.”

To pick India’s pace attack for the five Tests, India could also choose from the pool of Mukesh Kumar, Yash Dayal, Navdeep Saini and Khaleel Ahmed who have all been picked for an India A side that will play two four-day games starting October 31 (Mackay) and November 7 (Melbourne) before the three-day game against India in Perth.

Whether he is able to make it to Australia or not, Shami said if there is “bounce on some wickets, there’s nothing better for our pace attack. We just need some runs on the board which our bowlers can defend.”

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Pune set to roll out slow turner for second Test, with India looking to level series

admin — Mon, 21 Oct 2024 10:53:55 +0000

But like in Bengaluru, in Pune, too, India will look to field at least three spinners, though the combination could be altered keeping in mind the amount of spin that can be extracted from the slow surface. On Sunday, in a curious move, the Indian selectors decided to add Washington Sundar as the 16th member of the squad, although the original squad had Axar Patel as a fourth spinner along with R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav, who played the first Test.

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Rohit: ‘Three hours of bad cricket not going to dictate what this team is’

admin — Sun, 20 Oct 2024 14:44:54 +0000

Rohit Sharma has said that “three hours of bad cricket” do not define this Indian team and it would be unfair to judge his players on the basis of that.

“I am not going to look too much into this Test match honestly because those three hours [when India were bowled out for 46] are not going to dictate what this team is,” Rohit said after India lost the first Test to New Zealand by eight wickets. “Even here, there are a lot of good things that happened as well along with the three-four hours of bad cricket.

“I think it’s important to keep a consistent message in the group, which is that whenever we are put under pressure, we try to make a way into the game in whatever possible way – that is what we have been talking about.

“And we really found a way to come back into this game with the bat in the second innings. Of course, we lost a Test match. That’s why it probably won’t make sense what I am talking about. But I honestly feel there have been a lot of good things that happened in this game. So it’s just about keeping a very calm atmosphere, not to send panic messages.”

After conceding a lead of 356, India made a sterling comeback in the second innings with Rohit and Yashasvi Jaiswal giving them a good start before Virat Kohli and Sarfaraz Khan’s partnership took them forward. And when Rishabh Pant and Sarfaraz joined forces, India started dreaming of the unimaginable – a win.

While that didn’t happen, Rohit was proud of India’s fightback.

“It was brilliant, especially being behind in the game, it is easy to let the game drift away, but that is not what this team is all about. This team wants to stay in the game as long as possible and not give it to the opposition that easily. After day one [two], obviously nothing went our way. We got bowled out for 46 and then they were 190 [180] for 3 and for us the start of that second [third] day was very important, to not let them get too far ahead.

“But that partnership between Rachin [Ravindra] and [Tim] Southee actually just went a little ahead than what we thought. But again, in the second innings with the bat to come out and play like that, it felt like we were ahead in the game at one stage. We didn’t feel like we were 350 [356] behind and that is something that I am really proud of.

“When the guys are showing that kind of attitude on the field with the bat, it shows that the mindset is very clear, and the guys want to go out there and play with freedom and try and see how we can put the pressure back on the opposition. All in all, I thought, except that first couple of hours, three hours, I thought we played a very good Test cricket.”

It was not just the amount runs India scored in their second innings but also how they went about it, scoring at close to four runs an over throughout their innings. When Sarfaraz and Pant were together, they added 177 runs for the fourth wicket off 211 balls. Sarfaraz struck 18 fours and three sixes in his 150, and Pant smashed nine fours and five sixes during his 99.

Rohit said India are not going to change their aggressive attitude, irrespective of whether they are ahead in the game or behind.

“When we are behind the game, that is where you want to press your pedal even more, and try to make an impact, try to not let the opposition know that we are under pressure or we are behind the game. When you are actually behind, you want to try and do extraordinary things and play without any fear. It’s one thing to talk about it, but actually we went out there and played some fearless cricket.

“Some of the shots some of the guys played in the middle knowing that we were 350 behind shows what we have been talking about and what they want to do out there. And that is how it’s going to stay here.

“Even if we find ourselves ahead in the game, we are not going to change our attitude. And on the other side as well, even when we are behind the game, we are going to try to see how we can put the pressure on the opposition. Some of the Test matches we played recently show what I am talking about and that’s how it’s going to be.

“We are not going to fear losing a Test match by changing our mindset. We want to have that consistent mindset of trying to find a way to win Test matches. Even though you are behind in the game, you have to find a way whether it is putting the bowler under pressure or putting the batters under pressure by doing different things.”

India went in with three spinners – R Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja – for this Test but the move backfired with the trio not being as penetrative as usual. A key reason behind that was Ravindra, who scored 130 of his 173 runs across two innings against spin at a strike rate of 100. Rohit accepted he was the difference between the two sides.

“In the first innings, I thought whatever we could extract from the pitch, our spinners tried and did everything possible. But some of the shots Rachin played were really, really good and he played very good cricket. He played well against the spinners, they challenged him but you got to give credit to him.

“He understood what our spinners were trying to do and didn’t back off from playing his natural game, which is what gave him the result against our quality spinners. Sometimes it happens where… not sometimes actually, there will be times when some of the batters who come to India will play well against our spinners.

“We saw in the England series, in the first Test match, a couple of their batters got hundreds and even here, Rachin, [Devon] Conway, they played well, put our bowlers under pressure, spinners under pressure by playing different shots which can happen, which we are expecting as well from their batters.

“Anyone who is coming to India now, they are trying to put the pressure on the bowlers by doing different things, different methods but we know exactly what we are supposed to do when a situation like that arises.”

Ashish Pant is a sub-editor with ESPNcricinfo

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Washington Sundar added to India’s squad for second and third Tests

admin — Sun, 20 Oct 2024 13:12:19 +0000

The BCCI’s selectors have added Washington to India’s Test squad as its 16th member, without making any other changes.

On Sunday, New Zealand completed an eight-wicket win in the first Test in Bengaluru, their first Test win in India since 1988. The second Test is scheduled to start in Pune on October 24, and the final Test in Mumbai on November 1.

Washington has been part of India’s white-ball squads in recent months, but has not played Test cricket since March 2021. He was, however, part of their squad as a replacement for the injured Ravindra Jadeja during the home Test series against England earlier this year, and is viewed as a long-term prospect as a spin-bowling allrounder.

He has played four Test matches so far, all in the 2020-21 season, when Jadeja, their leading spin-bowling allrounder, was out injured. In those four Tests, Washington scored 265 runs, including three half-centuries, at an average of 66.25, and took six wickets with his offspin at 49.83. On debut, he played a key role in India’s famous win at the Gabba in January 2021, picking up three first-innings wickets and following it up with crucial lower-order innings of 62 and 22.

At the end of the 2020-21 season, during which he also impressed in the 3-1 home-series win over England, India’s then head coach Ravi Shastri told ESPNcricinfo that Washington would be India’s “premier allrounder across all three formats” in the future, and advised him to work on his fitness – his career has been interrupted by numerous injury breaks – and to bat up the order in domestic cricket.

In the Ranji match against Delhi, Washington batted at No. 3 and made 152, his second first-class century, in Tamil Nadu’s first innings. He said the team management had made the decision to promote him, and said he considers himself a top-order batter.

It is as yet unclear what role India have in mind for Washington in the Tests against New Zealand. They played three frontline spinners in Jadeja, R Ashwin and Kuldeep Yadav in Bengaluru, with Axar Patel in reserve. Jadeja, Ashwin and Axar are all allrounders.

It is possible Washington has been selected primarily as top-order cover rather than for his bowling. Going into the second Test, India have fitness concerns over their first-choice No. 3 Shubman Gill, who missed the Bengaluru Test with a stiff neck, and Rishabh Pant, who batted twice and scored 99 in the second innings but did not keep wickets for most of the match after taking a blow to his right knee.

Pant had undergone surgeries in both his knees after the life-threatening car accident in December 2022, and Rohit explained that Pant had been kept away from keeping duties “just to be a little careful about where he is at and what he is to us”.

India squad for the second and third Tests against New Zealand

Rohit Sharma (capt), Jasprit Bumrah (vice-capt), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant (wk), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Akash Deep, Washington Sundar.

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Shami bowls at full tilt on the sidelines in Bengaluru

admin — Sun, 20 Oct 2024 11:15:40 +0000

Mohammed Shami bowled for more than an hour on one of the main pitches at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium after the conclusion of the first Test between India and New Zealand in Bengaluru on Sunday. He also took part in fielding drills as he works towards a comeback from an ankle injury that has sidelined him since November last year.

The 34-year-old fast bowler had heavy strapping on his left knee but bowled at full tilt to India assistant coach Abhishek Nayar, with bowling coach Morne Morkel watching over the session. He did not look in any obvious discomfort, bowling almost continuously and only taking a break for the fielding drill close to the boundary.

Shami began his session around 2.30pm and after a few warm-up deliveries, he marked out his full run-up and used that for the rest of his practice. Once Nayar was done batting, Morkel placed cones on the pitch and stood behind the wickets as Shami continued to run in and bowl. He finished up at around 3.50pm.

Mohammad Shami bowling to batting coach Abhishek Nayar on the main strip of the M Chinnaswamy stadium. He has a heavily strapped left knee, but was moving fairly well and bowling at full tilt. #INDvsNZ pic.twitter.com/wZBIYpUBQu

— Ashish Pant (@ashishpant43) October 20, 2024

Shami also had a bowl after the end of play on day two, on one of the practice pitches at the far end of the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. He bowled for close to 45 minutes that day, off both a short and long run-up.

India are waiting on Shami’s fitness ahead of their five-Test tour of Australia beginning in November. His previous appearance was the 2023 ODI World Cup final in November last year, and he had played that tournament with an ankle injury, taking 24 wickets in seven matches at an average of 10.70.

Shami underwent surgery in London in February and has not recovered in time to play a part in this year’s Indian domestic season or the Test series at home against Bangladesh and New Zealand. After the start of the Bengaluru Test against New Zealand, Rohit Sharma had said that Shami had a “setback” with a swelling on his knee.

“He has not played any cricket for over a year,” Rohit had said. “It is quite tough for a fast bowler to have missed so much of cricket and then suddenly to come out and be at his best. It is not ideal. We will want to give him enough time to recover and be 100% fit.

“We don’t want to bring an undercooked Shami to Australia. That is not going to be the right decision for us.”

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