June 26, 2025
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Pant, Rahul tons help India set England 371 in Leeds Test

Pant, Rahul tons help India set England 371 in Leeds Test

Danijones09 mins

KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant hit contrasting centuries on the fourth day to set England 371 to win the first Test at Headingley, Leeds. In reply, England batted out six overs for 21/0, setting up this Test for all four results on Tuesday where they have 90 overs to score 350 runs. KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant struck fine centuries before India were all out for 364 in their second innings in Leeds. (AP) This was Pant’s second hundred of the game, making him only the second wicketkeeper, after Zimbabwe’s Andy Flower (141 and 199* v South Africa – Harare, 2001) to achieve this feat in Tests. You also know it’s a special Test if five Indians have scored hundreds across two innings in an unprecedented feat, that too at Leeds, the theatre of two of the most absurd Test results in history. More invigorating was the calm with which India batted for nearly 100 overs after the day started with the early dismissal of Shubman Gill. This turnaround, mind you, is barely nine months into the shocking home series loss to New Zealand, followed by a hiding at Australia that had expedited the transition into a younger side. We were told to brace for choppy waters, and yet here India are, daring England to do their thing. At the heart of this challenge were the two hundreds — Rahul’s ninth and Pant’s eighth – and a 195-run stand for the fourth wicket it produced, which started with quietly playing out the first session before the scoring steadily picked up. Key to this staggered scoring was Gill’s dismissal, Brydon Carse making him drag on to his stumps in what was only the second over of the day. That was the cue for Rahul to frustrate England by leaving and blocking the moving ball with expertise rarely witnessed in a visiting batter. Pant too shelved his aggression for a while, leaving England searching for more breakthroughs. Those that came their way were grassed though. Rahul was on 55 when he tried to guide Josh Tongue over gully. The ball however reared up on him and Rahul couldn’t control the shot, leading to an edge that flew to Brook who couldn’t react in time. Pant was given two reprieves, first when he edged through a vacant first slip on 31, before flirting with the first slip by edging past him when on 49. It took 83 balls for Pant to reach his fifty. Once there, Pant threw caution to the wind, taking only 47 balls to get to his second hundred of the game, 22 of those deliveries consumed in moving from 95. At the other end, Rahul was a picture of calm, playing late with soft hands, copping a few blows to the glove but keeping the ball on the ground. Stokes seemed to rile him the most, prodigiously swinging the ball. But to Rahul’s credit, he never let the main goal out of his sight. Frustrating England throughout the first session, Rahul took the reins of the game by dictating the pace of the innings. To Stokes, he punched him through covers for a sumptuous four. To Carse, he then unleashed a cut so late that third slip and gully could only watch it bissect them. A two through covers saw Rahul reach his eighth overseas hundred, his sixth outside Asia as an opener, with only Sunil Gavaskar ahead of him with 15 hundreds. This was also a personal triumph for Rahul, considering the circumstances in which he had headed into this series. By hierarchy and seniority, India’s Test captaincy should have ideally gone to Rahul but of far greater consequence was the runs left in him. A middling average in the 30s a decade into his career, there was no denying that decay had set in. To be fair, his calmness was underutilised for a long time as well, prompting him to drift between formats, not sure of his destiny. Only an innings with a rare blend of class and delicacy could have put an end to all that talk. Thankfully for him, it came in the series opener itself. Getting to his hundred was licence to break loose, and so Pant hammered Joe Root for three fours and a six in an over. Off-spinner Shoaib Bashir was taken for runs earlier, conceding two sixes in the 58th over. And so, when he returned after Root’s pounding, Pant quickly went after him. Only this time he found the fielder at long-on, bringing Karun Nair to the crease. He reverse-swept Bashir for four but couldn’t go past after Chris Woakes brilliantly held on to a return catch. This was where the wobble started, which to be fair isn’t new with India. India lost 7/41 in the first innings, and in the second innings too it was a worrying 6/31. Tongue took three wickets in an over but Ravindra Jadeja stayed around to contribute 12. Is 371 enough? Statistically yes. Only once though have India lost defending a 350-plus score — at Edgbaston in 2022. That is bound to hang heavy on their psyche as this Test moves into the fifth day with England raring to chase down.

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Before the storm, India’s calculated Test-like calm

Before the storm, India’s calculated Test-like calm

Danijones07 mins

Kolkata: In the first session on Day 4, India added 63 runs in nearly 25 overs. The first 100 runs of the fourth-wicket partnership between KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant consumed 194 balls. These are numbers you could relate to in Test cricket. Note however the small discrepancy in India’s scoring rate across two innings of the first test. On a spicy Headingley pitch that was occasionally under cloud cover, India had ended the first innings with a run rate of 4.16. Batting becomes comparatively easier in the second innings with the pitch easing up and the outfield quickening but India still chose to be cautious for a while after Shubman Gill played on to his stumps. India’s KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant stitched a 195-run partnership in the second innings at Leeds. (AP) It was not without reason. Reflect on the few years of the Stokes-McCullum axis and you know how England prefer to operate in Test cricket, with an unconditional commitment towards playing the sport without any hang-ups. It is a rallying call their players have responded to with an audacity that has spurred fantastic victories and riveting finishes. But it’s also a one-dimensional outlook without any contingency. Slowing down the pace of the game thus was a brilliant way of asking questions of England they don’t want to answer. The dismissal of Gill could have led to more wickets. Rahul was patience incarnate but Pant was at the other end, and you know it’s not always chanceless from him. But England were flat throughout. The scorecard will never dwell on the breakup of the innings showing this detail but those 194 balls underscored the practicality of winning a Test that India resorted to. England, for all their philosophy of playing entertaining cricket, weren’t fooling anyone too. The bowling was uninspiring, field placements even more predictable as England slowly slipped into a state where they were waiting for a mistake rather than forcing India to make it. At the heart of it was the first session, not too madcap, not too frenetic, just absorbing enough to keep everyone interested. One day left, 90 overs theoretically. There is forecast for rain but England nowadays need around 50 overs to overhaul 300-plus chases. But what often gets overlooked in the hype over their chasing belligerence is how conveniently the concept of playing time is relegated to the backburner. Which is why England found it difficult to embrace India’s tactic of slowing down the pace of their second innings. Rahul and Pant leaving the ball — a dour, boring, process — for the bulk of the first session, rendered England’s tactic useless. While India were ticking the right boxes, England were leaving too many loose ends. Slip catching was one such area. To straightaway attack the batter’s outside edge after lunch is an age-old tactic that England didn’t pay enough attention to. Pant was on 31, still trying to find the right way of playing in the conditions, but England played into his hands by starting with no slip fielders to Josh Tongue. First ball after lunch Pant could have easily edged off Tongue but Stokes failed to react. Next over from Tongue, Pant did get an edge that should have been a regulation catch at first slip. Instead, it raced away to the boundary. Chance missed, Stokes should have ideally doubled down on the close-in fielding. But so unusually was he focused on being defensive, spreading the field around, that he never woke up to the fact that Pant could again risk runs behind the wicket. Which happened, again to Tongue around an hour into the second session. Pant walloping two sixes against Shoaib Bashir should have been the cue that he was warming up to play big shots. But Stokes missed it again. This time Pant’s edge flew through the vacant second slip area. Cricket is still a game of taking 20 wickets. So, to miss two chances this big in order to save boundaries is a mighty departure for an England side known to play high-risk, high-reward cricket. That, notwithstanding how this Test pans out, is a win in itself.

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Bumrah five-for gives India the edge after Brook show

Bumrah five-for gives India the edge after Brook show

Danijones09 mins

Kolkata: A streaky but bold 99 from Harry Brook and some late order resilience helped England slash India’s first innings lead to just six runs but a solid 66-run second wicket partnership between KL Rahul and Sai Sudharsan meant India ended the third day of the first Test on a strong 90/2 at Headingley. India’s Jasprit Bumrah picked up his 14th five-wicket haul on Day 3 of the 1st Test match against England, at Headingley Cricket Ground in Leeds on Sunday. (BCCI) Jasprit Bumrah braved some ordinary catching from the slip cordon to still finish with 5/83, equalling Kapil Dev’s record of most five-wicket hauls (12) for an Indian in away Tests, playing almost half Tests (34, compared to Kapil’s 66) to reach that mark. It was followed up by a solid batting response from India on a grey Yorkshire day. When rain intervened with almost an hour still left for the day, India were ahead by 96 runs. Sudharsan was dropped by Ben Duckett off Josh Tongue’s bowling at backward point when he was on 24 before he clipped an inswinging delivery from Ben Stokes to Zak Crawley at short midwicket. The reprieve went with the general theme of the day as Brook used three lives to score at a stupendous rate to almost take England past India’s first innings. After a rare Bumrah overstep saved him on Saturday, Brook was dropped twice on Sunday — Rishabh Pant grassing a catch off Ravindra Jadeja on 46, and on 80 Yashasvi Jaiswal spilling a shoulder-level edge at gully. Brook wasn’t one to waste those opportunities, and despite Mohammed Siraj trying to distract him by constantly giving him an earful, he remained steadfastly aggressive. He had survived a leg-before appeal off Jadeja’s bowling but once the new ball was taken, Brook started to cut loose. Siraj had been hit for consecutive boundaries before Jaiswal dropped Brook at gully. Siraj returned, only to be hoisted over his head for a towering six, followed by a square cut hit so hard that deep point had given up the chase the moment the ball flew off the bat. The only thing that worked the entire day for Indian fast bowlers was the short ball trap to the leg-side, as this time Brook couldn’t outgun Shardul Thakur at deep backward square leg after pulling Prasidh Krishna. That was Prasidh’s third wicket of the innings as he picked up centurion Ollie Pope in the first session with a short and wide ball that deserved to be punished but instead only got edged to Pant behind the stumps. England however continued to chip away at India’s total as Stokes and then Jamie Smith helped the hosts score 118 runs in the 28 overs of the first session. Stokes was scalped by Siraj but Smith then took on India’s bowling, carting Prasidh for a four and a massive six over square-leg to keep England moving. That six however sparked a brainwave, albeit at the cost of a few more runs, as Prasidh parked a fielder and kept testing Smith. He finally fell, but not without some athleticism from Jadeja, who threw the ball to Sudharsan once he realised he was tipping over the boundary rope. Once Brook too holed out at the same spot, India had got a foothold in England’s innings. Or so they thought. Chris Woakes, who has a century to his name, against India at Lord’s in 2018, added 55 runs for the eighth wicket with Brydon Carse in just 7.2 overs, leaving India knackered. Resisting the bowling is one thing, but Woakes was batting as well as a specialist, especially when he drove Bumrah for a four. And when Woakes hammered Prasidh for a boundary to help England past the 400 mark, India looked slightly ruffled. Encouraged by Woakes’s fight, Carse too managed a couple of boundaries before Woakes clobbered Prasidh for a six. The fifty-run stand was raised in only 36 balls as England raced to India’s total. Once Siraj cleaned up Carse with a yorker though, Bumrah made short work of Woakes and Josh Tongue to complete his third five-wicket haul on English soil. With two days still left, the Test was now heading for a one-innings shootout. So, it was important that India got off to a steady start. But Carse stepped up to the mark quickly, sending back the in-form Jaiswal in the fourth over. It was a sensational delivery as well, Carse hitting short of a good length and making the ball seam away late. Already on the move, Jaiswal couldn’t help but push at it. KL Rahul was batting like his life depended on it, showing immaculate class and technique in getting behind every delivery and playing with a straight bat. When Woakes shortened his length, Rahul made room and cut. When he bowled fuller, Rahul just caressed the ball through covers for four. Top of the line though was the boundary he scored off Carse, showing the full face of the bat for an on drive that whistled past Sudharsan. And when he followed it up with an equally exquisite boundary through cover for another four, Rahul was looking unstoppable. For the better part of his brief innings, Sudharsan too was looking promising. Till Stokes successfully tried that leg-side trap again.

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India’s woeful catching lets England off the hook

India’s woeful catching lets England off the hook

Danijones07 mins

Kolkata: Harry Brook led a charmed life at Headingley, till he ran out of luck. There is no greater agony than to be dismissed one run short of a hundred at a ground one has grown up playing cricket. But it’s also true Brook had no business lasting as long as he did. India’s woeful catching gave him two lives, at two very curious junctures of the day. Both came behind the wicket, by the wicketkeeper and then gully, positions you are probability-wise more assured of these catches being taken. This, however, was also a strange day where easy catches were dropped and stupendous catches manufactured. But that doesn’t lessen the damage by any extent. Four catches were dropped off Jasprit Bumrah’s bowling alone on Day 3 of the First Test against England at Leeds. (AP) At the end of the Test, when every hour’s play is expected to be audited and dissected, the dropped catches will hurt most. Because if there was ever a day worse than others to drop catches it was Sunday at Leeds, in the first of a five-match Test series, having got a first-innings total big enough to make England sweat. Both chances off Brook should have been held, both critically spaced out in the context of England’s first-innings chase. The first came in the 72nd over, off Ravindra Jadeja’s bowling. It was a flighted delivery that held its line, and Brook, trying to defend off his front foot, ended up edging it. The bounce was discerning but these are catches that must be taken at this level. Hard and high hands from Pant meant Brook was let off. Lesson 101 of keeping wicket to spinners is to rise as late as possible so that the eye level moves with that of the ball. This being Jadeja, who tends to bowl quicker through the air when the ball isn’t gripping as well as in India, the timing of the wicketkeeper’s rise becomes doubly important. Pant, never quite the stickler for the basics, ended up being horribly placed for the edge. Brook was on 46 then. By the time he was dropped again, Brook was on 80. In between, he had added 73 runs with Jamie Smith, blunted out Jasprit Bumrah and gone after Mohammed Siraj successfully to prompt quick bowling changes. Bumrah was summoned, and once again he was hitting the right lengths. Sensing that Brook was trying to hang back in his crease, Bumrah tried a short of length delivery and almost out of instinct Brook just hung his bat out at it. It flew off the bat but Jaiswal dropped the catch at gully, bringing the grand total of dropped catches off Bumrah to four. And this was probably the easiest, given the ball was travelling at shoulder height. Those two lives essentially helped Brook score 53 more runs and take England to 398/7 from 300/5. Who knows what kind of lead India would have won had Brook been caught by Pant? Only twice did the Indian fielding look smart — when Brook was finally caught at deep backward square leg, and when Smith was caught by Sai Sudharsan through a lovely combination catch. That catch was all Jadeja though, and a nice shakeup from the shock of seeing him grassing Ben Duckett at backward point on Sunday. To throw the ball back to Sudharsan while going over the boundary is something Jadeja can do in his sleep, and so it would be unfair to probably judge everyone by his standard. In total, four catches went down at the slip, Jaiswal being at the end of two of them involving Pope and Brook. Chances of edges to the slip cordon increase at venues where the ball is swinging with a fair degree of carry. Concentrating on slip catching is also relatively easier overseas since the decibel level is almost always less than in India. Which should make it all the more difficult for India to live with the fact that both Pope and Brook — centurion and near-centurion in England’s innings — reached there partly because of the lives given to them.

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Gautam Gambhir told to 'have chat with Shubman Gill' as Gavaskar fumes at India's howlers: No medal will be given

Gautam Gambhir told to ‘have chat with Shubman Gill’ as Gavaskar fumes at India’s howlers: No medal will be given

Danijones05 mins

Although India are very well in the contest and could even secure a first-innings lead in Leeds, the visitors were only brilliant in patches. After a top-order show, where three batters scored a century, the remainder of the line-up suffered a collapse on Day 2 for just 40-odd runs. In the following innings, it was merely a one-man show, with Jasprit Bumrah dictating the terms for India amid shoddy bowling and fielding howlers. Sunil Gavaskar was not happy with India’s fielding errors Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar, on Saturday, was left fuming at the end of Day 2 at the Headingley as he criticised India’s fielding. The visitors dropped as many as three catches during the day, where Ollie Pope scored a century to lead the charge for England single-handedly. Gavaskar reckoned that India’s tradition of giving out fielding medals, started by coach T Dilip, is unlikely to happen after the performance on Day 2. “I don’t think there will be any medal given. T Dilip gives those after a match. This is what was really very, very disappointing. Yashasvi Jaiswal is a very good fielder but he hasn’t been able to hold on to anything this time,” he said on commentary. Jaiswal dropped two of those catches – one of Ben Duckett in the fifth over and the other of Pope. All three chances were off deliveries from Bumrah. Former India pacer Varun Aaron reckoned head coach Gautam Gambhir should have a word with captain Shubman Gill and urge him to change his fielding position from mid-on/off to the slip region. “Dropped chances, in the end, they cost you games. Jaiswal dropped one before Jaddu, it would have been a sharp catch, but you have to back him to take those chances. Cam Green, for Australia, takes these without a fuss. I would say Jaiswal can be up there, but he has dropped two now. One of those days where it does not go for you,” Aaron said on ESPNCricinfo. “Shubman Gill has been standing at mid on and mid off, one of the better slip fielders in India. I would back Shubman to be in the slips and take these catches, especially in England. Maybe Gambhir will have a chat with him, and be like, ‘You can speak to the bowler in between overs and stuff like that, but we need you in the slips’,” he added. India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak also had his say on the wasted opportunities on Day 2, which included Harry Brook’s escape after he was dismissed by Bumrah of a no ball. “Those dropped catches and the no-ball were definitely disappointing. Usually, we’re sharper in the field. But as a support staff and team, we take it as one of those unfortunate days — not the norm. Overall, we bowled well barring a few loose patches. There was something in the wicket, and we tried to make the most of it,” Kotak said in the post-match press conference.

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The almost innings: Rahul’s grit, class, and a familiar ending

The almost innings: Rahul’s grit, class, and a familiar ending

Danijones06 mins

Kolkata: Fact: Four of India’s five highest opening partnerships in England this century have featured KL Rahul. Fact: Seven of Rahul’s eight Test hundreds have come as an opener, six of them away from home. Fact: The rate of fifty and hundred conversion—seven hundreds and 14 fifties in 54 innings – doesn’t live up to the promise Rahul has long held. Almost 60 Tests into his career, that remains an enduring truth. Friday, then, added another chapter to the theme of what could have been – had Rahul been more judicious. India’s KL Rahul put on 91 runs for the first wicket with Jaiswal, making 42 from 78 balls with eight fours. (AP) Vexing, indeed, was how it all ended. Until that wide, full-pitched delivery from Brydon Carse found a thick edge en route to Joe Root, Rahul looked to have his game locked in. There was that one expansive drive in the fourth over off Carse, where a thick outside edge flew through the gully region, but little after that suggested Rahul was vulnerable. He shouldered arms to deliveries that nipped away sharply, blocked those that came in, and appeared completely in the zone – one that could nag England into rethinking their tactics. Ben Stokes bringing himself on as early as the 16th over was evidence of the impatience creeping into England’s approach, with India cruising at 52 without loss. Off his first ball, Stokes nearly broke Rahul’s concentration with a good-length delivery angling into off-stump but leaving him late after pitching. Rahul initially looked committed to the shot, then pulled the bat away at the last moment. Three balls later, he was drawn into a big drive, but Stokes again got the ball to move away. The cat-and-mouse game continued. Then, Stokes induced another drive – but this time Rahul connected cleanly, the ball flying over the slip cordon for four. Rahul again drove the next ball but this time with a better degree of command and so the thick edge rolled past gully. It wasn’t until the following over that Rahul truly got on top of Stokes, predictably through another drive. High elbow, toe pointed to mid-off, a high backlift translating into a flowing shot worthy of framing – Rahul was beginning to come into his own. And with it, came a steady uptick in runs. Perhaps because we’re not used to seeing it, we don’t often acknowledge it enough but Rahul has often been the reason India have batted out challenging first sessions with authority. The line between success and failure was often razor-thin, and Rahul quietly faded into the afterglow of someone else’s brilliance. Yashasvi Jaiswal’s start was explosive, if a little streaky. Rahul, by contrast, was rock solid early, before gradually shifting gears. Jaiswal will take the headlines – but spare a thought for Rahul. Not often do you find a batter finally assured of his place in the eleven after playing for more than a decade. Which is why this series finally feels like the one where Rahul’s career could truly take flight. It could have started at Headingley – day one of the first Test, after all the hard yards had been put in. So, when Carse returned, and Rahul immediately carted him for a boundary, you could sense it happening. It was perhaps Rahul’s classiest shot of the innings: a length ball picked early, the bat opened to carve it through cover point for a sumptuous boundary. But Carse went back to the classic tactic of throwing the ball wide, and waiting for the batter to err. Probably too full to be driven like that? Or maybe just a lapse in concentration? Either way, Rahul can’t quite be faulted for backing himself. Sometimes, even with the right intent, things don’t unfold the way you want them to. No one knows that better than KL Rahul.

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Rishabh Pant won't mind looking 'stupid', but knows there is more riding on his shoulders than ever before

Rishabh Pant won’t mind looking ‘stupid’, but knows there is more riding on his shoulders than ever before

Danijones08 mins

“Finally,” he smiled, cheekily. “It feels good but at the same time, it’s a responsibility also to share your knowledge, your experience.” India’s Rishabh Pant during a practice session ahead of the Test cricket match series against England, in UK(@BCCI) Being cheeky is something that comes naturally to Rishabh Pant. Cheeky good, that is. He is a constant stream of chatter from behind the stumps, and he will often make you laugh, but he is never malicious or offensive. But more than anywhere else, his cheekiness manifests itself in his batting. Sometime to irate ‘Stupid, stupid, stupid’ admonishments of the kind Sunil Gavaskar doled out in Melbourne last December, but also with spectacular outcomes. Pant is on his third full tour of England. It was here that, in August 2018, he made his Test debut midway through a five-match series. In only his third appearance, at The Oval, he provided glimpses of the immense potential nestling in his stocky frame, with a spectacular 114 in a sixth-wicket stand of 204 with KL Rahul. From 121 for five, chasing 464 for a consolation victory, India mounted a stunning rearguard action though eventually they fell well short, beaten by 118 runs to surrender the series 1-4. In the next series – the fourth and the fifth Tests were split by a year – he unleashed 146 off a mere 111 deliveries with India in all sorts of trouble, 98 for five, on the first morning of the final Test, in Birmingham in July 2022. Once again, there was no joy for Pant or India, who were hammered by seven wickets with England rallying to square the showdown 2-2. Four of Pant’s six Test hundreds have come away from home, each breathtakingly brilliant. But for all his imperious majesty at the crease, he was forced to play second fiddle to Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. In their retirements from the five-day game, Pant has now gate-crashed into the ‘senior batter’ category – which is what elicited that ‘finally’ comment on Wednesday afternoon – and been promoted as the vice-captain of the five-day team, forming the playing leadership group alongside Shubman Gill (Shubby, as he calls him), the new Test skipper. From maverick to mentor: Pant embraces responsibility without shedding flair Pant and Gill share an excellent rapport off the field, which should translate into smart decision-making on it. As friends, they can agree to disagree; while Pant understands that Gill as captain must have the last word, the latter respects his slightly older buddy’s inputs and will not disagree just for the sake of it. It’s to this group that Indian cricket will look as it seeks to break away from an excellent past and move into an exciting tomorrow full of promise and hope. An impish smile broke out on Pant’s face when he held forth on the challenges of batting in England. “You have to upscale your basics,” he remarked. “You have to respect the condition. You don’t have to be too aggressive.” Perhaps, he was trying to convince himself, you wondered… The thing is, Rishabh Pant won’t go away wondering. He is very much an instinctive batter, backing himself to play the most outrageous strokes even in the five-day game while being well aware that if he falls only marginally short in execution, he will be the object of unforgiving, stringent criticism. It’s a trade-off he finds acceptable. He doesn’t mind looking ‘stupid’ if he is convinced the odds are in his favour, though as senior batter and vice-captain, he knows that there is more riding on his shoulders now than ever before. Pant must perhaps be telling his younger batting colleagues to ‘do as I say, not as I do’. After all, not many can do what he does. Not many can even think of doing what he can. Despite his obvious and sustained high-risk approach, he averages 42.11 from 43 Tests while striking at 73.62 runs per 100 balls faced. He also smashes almost one six an innings in Test cricket (73 in 75 knocks), which reiterates his image as a risk-non-averse batter without a negative bone in his body. Even in his early days under Kohli, and then with greater confidence and authority when Rohit took charge, Pant was a leader in his own right. Especially from behind the stumps, which gave him the best vantage position from which to read the game, he firmly moved the fielders around, sussing up the angles and redirecting traffic secure in the knowledge that his captain had his back. That aspect of his cricket will remain unchanged. As a batter, though, it will be interesting to see if the additional responsibility sparks a battle between his instinct and his altered status within the team landscape, and particularly so with (vice-capt.) riding alongside his name. What have you got in store for us, Rishabh Pant?

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I didn’t want to be considered for captaincy: Bumrah

I didn’t want to be considered for captaincy: Bumrah

Danijones08 mins

New Delhi: The energy in the Indian dressing room will be different as India take on England in the five-Test series starting at Leeds on Friday. New captain Shubman Gill leads a side that is fairly inexperienced. Jasprit Bumrah will be an important senior and his fitness and wicket-taking will be crucial for India. Jasprit Bumrah revealed that he had ruled out Test captaincy during as part of his workload management, and had informed the BCCI of his desire to prioritise his bowling responsibilities. (PTI) Eyebrows were raised when Bumrah, who led India in two Tests in Australia, was not appointed Test captain to succeed Rohit Sharma. Bumrah missed the Champions Trophy earlier this year as he was recovering from a stress reaction of the back he suffered during the fifth Test against Australia in Sydney in January. He only returned to action after Mumbai Indians’ first four games in IPL 2025. Announcing Gill as skipper of an 18-member Test squad on May 24, chief selector Ajit Agarkar had said: “Bumrah is more important to us as a player. We want him fit. There’s always that extra burden when you’re leading, managing 15-16 other people… We’d rather have him bowling as well as he does… He’s aware of it and he’d rather look after himself and be bowling fit.” It had indicated a need to manage the bowling spearhead’s workload. Bumrah, in an interview with Sky Sports Cricket, revealed that he had opted out of the captaincy race when BCCI was in the decision-making process for that reason. “There’s no fancy stories to it. There is no controversy or a headlining statement that I was sacked or I was not looked at,” he told former India stumper Dinesh Karthik. “Before Rohit and Virat retired, I had spoken to the BCCI during the IPL about my workload going forward in a five-match series. I’ve spoken to the people who have managed my back, I’ve spoken to the surgeon as well, who’s always spoken to me about how smart I have to be about the workloads. “And then we came to the conclusion that I have to be smarter. So, I called the BCCI and said I don’t want to be looked at in a leadership role because I won’t be able to give all matches coming to a five-match Test series.” Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja and KL Rahul are among the seniors in the squad after the retirements of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and R Ashwin. Gill, who averages 14.66 in three matches in England, will be under pressure to make his mark as a batter in seaming conditions. Although Gill has expressed confidence leading the side and has the confidence of his team-mates and coach, he will still have to prove himself both as captain and batter. BCCI have invested in him, keeping in mind the big picture of the team’s long-term development. “The BCCI was looking at me, at (for) leadership (role),” Bumrah said. “But then I had to say no as it’s not fair for the team if in a five-Test series, three matches somebody is leading and two matches somebody else is leading. I always wanted to put the team first, even if me being there as a player offers a lot more, just not as a captain.” Bumrah said he would be more capable of making an impact contributing as a player, despite not having the captain’s tag. It is to focus on prolonging his Test career. “Captaincy is a post. But you always have leaders in the team, and I wanted to do that. But if I’m not careful, I don’t know about the future and I don’t want to be in a situation where I have to abruptly go away from this format. So, I thought that for continuity, and it is only fair to the team that you know the team goes in that direction where they look long-term and I could help in whatever way I can.” Bumrah said he does not judge fast bowlers for picking and choosing formats to manage their workload in modern cricket. However, for him Test cricket remains the priority but he wants to excel in all formats. He clarified that it is decided that he will play not more than three Tests. Coach Gautam Gambhir has said it has not been decided which were the Tests Bumrah would play. “We will plan on the go but three Tests is what I am looking at. The first (Test) is definitely on,” Bumrah said. “The rest we will see how things are, what is the workload and scenario… but yes, three Tests is what I can manage at this moment. Hopefully, in the games that I play, I give my absolute best.”

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Kuldeep hopeful spin will matter in the England Tests

Kuldeep hopeful spin will matter in the England Tests

Danijones07 mins

New Delhi: As India go into their five-Test series in England that starts at Leeds on June 20, there is a sense of anticipation around the relatively inexperienced side. They have not won a series in England since 2007, but this feels like the start of a new era. Kuldeep Yadav during a practice session ahead of the Test series against England. (BCCI) Fast bowlers will be expected to lead the bowling attack, but wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav is hopeful there will be enough assistance in the pitches for spin to play a key role. India are playing an intra-squad four-day match in Beckenham in the final build-up. This will be India’s first series without several seniors – Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and R Ashwin. The left-arm wrist spinner, who has played only one Test in England – that too as a strange selection for a rain-hit Lord’s Test in 2018 which India lost by an innings and all wickets, barring Cheteshwar Pujara’s run out, fell to pacers. This time though he is expected to play a crucial role in a team entering an era of transition. “There is always excitement when you are playing overseas as a spinner. I go in with an attacking mindset and if the wicket and conditions are good, it is helpful,” Kuldeep told a media conference at Beckenham on Day 3. “Although I don’t worry too much about the conditions, if there is a little assistance, it feels good to bowl.” The Shubman Gill-led team is largely young, but he has the experienced KL Rahul, Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja to rely on. “Playing alongside Jadeja is an honour. Jadeja and Ashwin have been brilliant. When I made my debut, they helped me even then. We still chat a lot about how to bowl to certain batters and the way the English batters play. “I am spending a lot of time with him (Jadeja). Not only on the field, but outside as well. It actually helped me a lot in terms of tactics and field placements, which we’ve been talking about. He has given some tips as well.” Having played alongside Gill at Kolkata Knight Riders, Kuldeep is familiar with Gill’s thinking. “Shubman has played under many seniors. He used to be actively involved in discussions with Rohit Sharma, not just in Test cricket but even in ODIs in the last year. I am sure he has learnt a lot.” He added: “As a leader, he looks motivated. He was highly involved in lifting the spirits of the team in the last 3-4 sessions (in the India vs India A game). He looks ready to lead.” Secure environment Yadav acknowledged that the absence of seniors has left a void but sees it is an opportunity for the youngsters to perform and settle in the team. However, as players jostle to make a mark, the dressing room can become a competitive and daunting place. Gill, in an interview to Sky Sports Cricket on Sunday, said he is focused on building a relaxed atmosphere. “Apart from the silverware and the trophies, I would ideally like to build a culture where everyone is very secure and happy. I know it can be a very difficult environment, especially with all the competition and the number of matches that we play, but if I’m able to do that…that would be my goal,” he said. “They (management) are not expecting me to do something that I’m not capable of. But you definitely have some expectations from yourself as a leader and as a player.” In the last two IPL seasons, Gill as Gujarat Titans skipper has worked with coach Ashish Nehra, who is known to be totally involved at every point. Gill outlined the difference between him and India head coach Gautam Gambhir. “Ashu pa is very hands on, very animated and very expressive in terms of his personality, and your personality kind of reflects on your coaching style as well. Gautam bhai is very determined, committed and also very clear in his communication, what he wants from the players and what kind of mindset he would want the players to have.” There seems to be promise and confidence in the words of the players and Gill and Gambhir. The first test of the transition will be how effectively the team performs at the start of a challenging series.

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Rishabh Pant gasps in awe, reacts to 'brother' Aiden Markram's Lord's blitz amid India intra-squad match

Rishabh Pant gasps in awe, reacts to ‘brother’ Aiden Markram’s Lord’s blitz amid India intra-squad match

Danijones03 mins

India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant was absolutely awed after Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) teammate Aiden Markram unleased mayhem at the iconic Lord’s to guide South Africa to a historic World Test Championship win. Markram’s knock of 136 helped South Africa beat Australia by five wickets to win the WTC mace for the first time in history. Rishabh Pant reacted to Aiden Markram’s knock in WTC final Despite his ongoing duties in Kent, England, where India are in the midst of an intra-squad game in preparation for an arduous five-match Test series against the Ben Stokes-led side, starting June 20, Pant kept an eye on the proceedings at the Lord’s, where his IPL teammate was in action. Pant and Markram recently shared the dressing room during LSG’s campaign in IPL 2025. In his tweet, Pant hailed Markram for his “great knock” and also congratulated South Africa on winning the tournament. Pant tweeted: “Well played, Aiden brother . I am so happy for you – what a great knock under pressure. You have made us all proud and congratulations to South Africa on lifting the WTC mace.” How South Africa beat Australia? The bowlers dominated the opening two days of the match as 14 wickets fell each day after five-wicket hauls from Kagiso Rabada and Aussie skipper Pat Cummins. The proceeding left Australia in dire straits before the tail-enders, led by a gritty half-century from Mitchell Starc, helped them set a target of 282. South Africa did have the experience of chasing 250-plus totals in Tests, having done it five times, three against Australia. Yet, the odds were stacked against the Proteas as the venue witnessed two such successful chases, the last being in 2004. But Markram’s heroics and captain Temba Bavuma’s courageous 66 amid a hamstring injury helped South Africa overcome the odds. This was South Africa’s eighth straight win in Test cricket, a streak that helped them bounce back from the brink of elimination, reach the final, and lift the WTC mace. Markram was named the Player of the Match.

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