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England name 14-man squad for first Test vs India, recall surprise pacer with just one cap after 3-year absence

England name 14-man squad for first Test vs India, recall surprise pacer with just one cap after 3-year absence

England have announced a 14-member squad for the opening Test of the series against India, which begins June 20 at Headingley. Ben Stokes will lead the side, with Jamie Overton making a return to the Test team after nearly three years. Overton has played only one Test so far, with his sole appearance coming against New Zealand in 2022. Gus Atkinson was unavailable for selection due to a right hamstring injury sustained during the recent Test against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge England’s captain Ben Stokes (C) and his players prepare to start on the third day of the four day Test cricket match between England and Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge in Nottingham(AFP) Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Overton, and Josh Tongue feature in the pace attack, with Shoaib Bashir included as the sole spinning option. Jacob Bethell also returns to the Test team after missing the one-off match against Zimbabwe last month. The 14-member squad included the top-3 of Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, and Ollie Pope, who smashed brilliant centuries against Zimbabwe. Jamie Smith is expected to keep the wickets, retaining the role he played in the Zimbabwe Test. England squad: Ben Stokes (Durham) – Captain, Shoaib Bashir (Somerset), Jacob Bethell (Warwickshire), Harry Brook (Yorkshire), Brydon Carse (Durham), Sam Cook (Essex), Zak Crawley (Kent), Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire), Jamie Overton (Surrey), Ollie Pope (Surrey), Joe Root (Yorkshire), Jamie Smith (Surrey), Josh Tongue (Nottinghamshire), and Chris Woakes (Warwickshire) The BCCI, meanwhile, had earlier announced an 18-member squad for the England Test tour, which featured a new Indian Test captain in Shubman Gill. With both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli retiring from the format, the tour will mark the beginning of India’s generational transition; this will also be India’s first Test series without Ravichandran Ashwin, who had earlier called time on his international career during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Karun Nair made a return to the Indian Test squad after over eight years, and produced a brilliant performance during his outing for India A against England Lions last week. Nair hit a double century in the game, while Abhimanyu Easwaran, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Nitish Kumar Reddy – all part of the squad – smashed half-centuries in the second innings. Gautam Gambhir, the Indian head coach, and Gill will address the media in a pre-departure press conference on Wednesday. 

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India Tour of England: England announce 14-member squad for 1st Test; check who made the team | Cricket News

India Tour of England: England announce 14-member squad for 1st Test; check who made the team | Cricket News

England players (Pic credit: ECB) The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on Thursday announced a 14-member squad for the first Test of the five-match series against India, scheduled to begin on June 20, 2025, at Headingley in Leeds.The big news from the selection is the return of fast-bowling all-rounder Jamie Overton, who has been included in the squad in place of his injured Surrey teammate Gus Atkinson. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Ben Stokes will continue to lead the side, with familiar faces like Joe Root, Zak Crawley, and Ollie Pope forming the core of the batting unit. Young talents such as Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, and Jamie Smith have also been retained as England look to build a balanced squad blending youth and experience.Experienced campaigners Chris Woakes and Josh Tongue will support the pace attack, while Sam Cook and Brydon Carse offer additional options with the ball.India will be touring England for a much-anticipated five-match Test series as part of the 2025-27 World Test Championship cycle. The first Test at Headingley promises to set the tone for a fiercely contested summer. Shubman Gill story: From a remote village near the border to India’s Test captain England squad for 1st Test against India Ben Stokes (Durham) – Captain, Shoaib Bashir (Somerset), Jacob Bethell (Warwickshire), Harry Brook (Yorkshire), Brydon Carse (Durham), Sam Cook (Essex), Zak Crawley (Kent), Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire), Jamie Overton (Surrey), Ollie Pope (Surrey), Joe Root (Yorkshire), Jamie Smith (Surrey), Josh Tongue (Nottinghamshire), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire)

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'Virat Kohli waited only 18 years. Tendulkar's wait was even longer': Sehwag draws 2011 WC parallel with RCB's IPL title

‘Virat Kohli waited only 18 years. Tendulkar’s wait was even longer’: Sehwag draws 2011 WC parallel with RCB’s IPL title

Jun 05, 2025 01:32 PM IST Virat Kohli’s 18-year wait for an IPL title ended on Tuesday night, and Sehwag drew a parallel of the victory with Sachin Tendulkar’s 2011 WC win. Virat Kohli’s long wait for an IPL trophy ended on Tuesday night when he lifted the title after Royal Challengers Bengaluru defeated the Punjab Kings by six runs. The RCB star, who is the only player to have represented only one franchise since the inception of the league in 2008, faced three defeats in the final before eventually ending the trophy drought in Ahmedabad. Kohli was also the highest scorer in RCB’s innings in the final with 43 off 35 deliveries, and even as it wasn’t the most flamboyant knock, his stay helped RCB reach a strong score of 190/9 in 20 overs. Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s Virat Kohli reacts while sitting beside the trophy after winning the Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 final cricket match against Punjab Kings (AFP) Following RCB’s win, former India opener Virender Sehwag, who has shared the dressing room with Kohli in Team India and Delhi, lauded the RCB star, while also drawing an interesting parallel with Sachin Tendulkar. When asked about the “wait” that Kohli had to endure for a trophy, Sehwag cited that Tendulkar’s wait for an ODI World Cup trophy was even longer, and still, he never lost hope. “His (Kohli) wait to win the trophy for only 12 years. Sachin Tendulkar waited from 1989 till 2011. So, Kohli’s wait for lesser, and still even Sachin never lost hope. He had made up his mind, he would only bow out with a World Cup trophy in his hand,” Sehwag told Cricbuzz. Sehwag added that Kohli can be “relieved” and retire without regrets, whenever he makes the decision. “It’s the same for Virat Kohli. Now, he can be relieved. He can happily stop playing IPL whenever he wants to make that decision. A player plays to win the trophy. Money comes and goes, but winning trophies isn’t easy. And even as Kohli’s wait ended, he has still made a very strong contribution in their campaign,” added the former opener. Kohli’s campaign Kohli ended the 2025 season with 657 runs to his name in 15 matches, finishing as the season’s third-highest run-scorer. He averaged 54.75 while scoring with a strike rate of 144.71. He smashed eight half-centuries in the season. News / Cricket News / ‘Virat Kohli waited only 18 years. Tendulkar’s wait was even longer’: Sehwag draws 2011 WC parallel with RCB’s IPL title See Less

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Beyond tragic: Tendulkar condoles Chinnaswamy stampede deaths

Beyond tragic: Tendulkar condoles Chinnaswamy stampede deaths

Sachin Tendulkar. File | Photo Credit: PTI Indian batting great Sachin Tendulkar has offered his condolences on the loss of 11 lives in a stampede outside Bengaluru’s Chinnaswamy Stadium during RCB’s IPL victory celebrations, describing the incident as “beyond tragic”. Apart from 11 deaths, more than 30 were injured in a stampede outside the popular venue on Wednesday (June 4, 2025) during the victory celebrations of Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s maiden IPL trophy win. “What happened at Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru, is beyond tragic. My heart goes out to every affected family. Wishing peace and strength to all,” Tendulkar wrote on ‘X’. What happened at Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru, is beyond tragic. My heart goes out to every affected family. Wishing peace and strength to all. 🙏 — Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) June 4, 2025 Former South African and RCB batter AB de Villiers, who is immensely popular in Bengaluru, also expressed his sympathy for the victims. “My thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by the tragic events at the Chinnaswamy stadium today,” De Villiers wrote. My thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by the tragic events at the Chinnaswamy stadium today. https://t.co/klmCQrjn6k — AB de Villiers (@ABdeVilliers17) June 4, 2025 Former Indian captain-cum-coach and a Bengaluru native, Anil Kumble termed the incident as a “sad day for cricket”. “It’s a Sad day for Cricket! My heart goes out to the families of those who lost their lives while celebrating RCB’s victory today. Praying for the speedy recovery of those injured. Tragic !!,” he wrote. It’s a Sad day for Cricket! My heart goes out to the families of those who lost their lives while celebrating RCB’s victory today. Praying for the speedy recovery of those injured. Tragic !! 💔💔 — Anil Kumble (@anilkumble1074) June 4, 2025 Yuvraj Singh added, “What was meant to be a moment of celebration turned into an unimaginable tragedy. My heart goes out to everyone affected by the incident in #Bengaluru. “May the families find strength and the departed souls rest in peace.” What was meant to be a moment of celebration turned into an unimaginable tragedy. My heart goes out to everyone affected by the incident in #Bengaluru. May the families find strength and the departed souls rest in peace 🙏🏻 — Yuvraj Singh (@YUVSTRONG12) June 4, 2025 The incident was triggered by a heavy rush of people to join a hastily-arranged celebration for the franchise. The police and local administration were left overwhelmed by the lakhs who took to the streets to join the festivities at a stadium which can accommodate only 35,000 people. Published – June 05, 2025 12:58 pm IST

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Bengaluru stampede: Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma return to Mumbai; tragedy overshadows RCB's IPL celebration | Cricket News

Bengaluru stampede: Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma return to Mumbai; tragedy overshadows RCB’s IPL celebration | Cricket News

Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma at the Mumbai airport. (Video grab) Star Indian cricketer Virat Kohli and his wife Bollywood actor Anushka Sharma returned to Mumbai on Thursday following the Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) IPL title celebrations that were marred by tragedy in Bengaluru. The couple was spotted at Mumbai airport, and visuals of their arrival quickly went viral on social media.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!RCB’s historic first-ever IPL title win — achieved with a thrilling six-run victory over Punjab Kings in the final on Tuesday in Ahmedabad — was meant to be a moment of joy. But the mood turned somber on Wednesday during the team’s homecoming event at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, where a stampede claimed 11 lives and left over 30 others injured.WATCH:Tens of thousands of fans gathered outside the stadium to celebrate the team’s 18-year-long wait for glory. However, the crowd soon became unmanageable, and chaos ensued as fans pushed to enter the already packed venue, leading to a tragic crush at the gates.While the event inside the stadium did take place, it was cut short out of respect for the tragedy. Only RCB captain Rajat Patidar and Kohli addressed the crowd briefly, lifting the trophy to acknowledge the fans before the event ended. ‘A particularly special feeling’: Andy Flower hails Virat Kohli, RCB after historic title win Reacting to the heartbreaking incident, Kohli shared RCB’s official statement and wrote on Instagram: “At a loss for words. Absolutely gutted.”The RCB franchise also expressed deep sorrow and extended condolences to the bereaved families. What was supposed to be a celebration of triumph ended in mourning.

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