sledging

Rishabh Pant accuses fielding coach T Dilip of favouritism; lots of sledging during India’s practice session: Report

Danijones17 hours ago06 mins

The Indian cricket team, which arrived in Headingley on Tuesday, got down to business as the players and coaching staff participated in the team’s first proper practice session in Headingley ahead of the series opener against England on Friday. The team comes to Headingley on the back of two warm-up matches against England Lions and one intra-squad game, but irrespective of whatever fine-tuning at Canterbury and Beckenham, Leeds is where the players will be tested the most. Two practice sessions, one done and dusted with, and then onto the big one. **EDS: THIRD PARTY IMAGE** In this image released by @BCCI via X on June 8, 2025, India’s Rishabh Pant during a practice session ahead of the Test cricket match series against England, in UK. (@BCCI via PTI Photo)(PTI06_08_2025_000304B)(@BCCI) There’s something about this team. Yes, three of Indian cricket’s biggest superstars are missing, but the 18 players picked to do the job appear a lot more relaxed and entertained than usual. Perhaps it’s the lack of baggage. Most of these players are young and low on experience – nothing better than a fresh start – which reflected as the players hit the ground running on Wednesday. Cricbuzz reported that India’s practice session initially resembled a match of gully cricket as the players engaged in some heavy sledging and banters. The session began with fielding coach T Dilip’s direct hit challenge. For this, the players were grouped into three different teams. Dilip is one to always begin the proceedings with some light-hearted drills, which was evident in the players’ demeanour. In fact, Rishabh Pant even accused Dilip of favouritism, saying ‘Arre who toh lefty hai, usko left mein hi khada karoge‘. But all in good spirits. A fun fight about the final scores capped off the drill. But it wasn’t before some takeaways. Prasidh Krishna, Karun Nair and Kuldeep Yadav all nailed a couple of direct hits each. Also Read: Shubman Gill to bat at No. 4 in Headingley Test, Rishabh Pant at 5; but where does that leave Karun Nair? However, once that direct hit competition was over, the fun was replaced by seriousness. The batters took guard in the nets while bowlers marked their run-ups. First up were openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul, who took throwdowns before facing the fiery fast-bowling duo – and one that are likely to open the bowling for India, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj. Both India pacers looked in top gear. Bowling coach Morne Morkel has already informed just how quick, and in-rhythm Jasprit Bumrah has looked in during the intra-squad match, and today was just another extension of it. After Gill and Jaiswal were done with their hitouts, in walked Shubman Gill and Pant, India’s No. 4 and 5 for the Headingley Test as confirmed by the vice-captain himself. Karun Nair had his chance too, but was in for a rough time when he copped a blow to his abdomen from Prasidh. The impact of the ball was such that the hit left a red mark just below Nair’s ribs. Thankfully, it was just a passing pain, which Nair laughed off. Unplayable Bumrah Bumrah was once again a standout star during the nets. The Indian pace spearhead, who confirmed that he won’t play all five Tests, proved once again exactly why he’ll be missed dearly in the ones he skips. With the red Dukes ball in his hand, Bumrah emerged as a serious threat for his own teammates, making Jaiswal and Pant hope and jump. The one batter, however, who looked the most assured against Bumrah was India captain Gill, using his defence to negate the movements of the ball. His approach stood out because the rest of the batters, Sai Sudharsan and KL Rahul, found it difficult to cope against Bumrah’s barrage of unplayable deliveries. Outside of the players, England head coach Brendon McCullum and Morkel shared a warm embrace.

‘This isn’t school cricket, you bloody…’: Yuvraj Singh faced the wrath of Steve Waugh, then started swearing

Danijones3 days ago06 mins

Sledging Yuvraj Singh is not the best of ideas. England great Andrew Flintoff found out the hard way in the 2007 T20 World Cup when the India white-ball legend unleashed hell on pacer Stuart Broad, smashing him for six sixes in an over in a Super Six stage match at Durban. After achieving the rare feat, Yuvraj even pointed his bat towards Flintoff, with whom he had been involved in a heated argument not too long ago. But this was not always the case. Yuvraj Singh was sledged by Steve Waugh When Yuvraj first turned up for India as a 19-year-old, he wasn’t nearly as feisty as Flintoff found him to be seven years later. In fact, arguing or swearing on the field was the last thing on the all-rounder’s mind while playing cricket. It was his debut against Australia that changed everything. Yuvraj’s father Yograj Singh, a former India cricketer, revealed how sledging from the Australian team led by the legendary Steve Waugh taught Yuvraj to be tough and give it back. Yograj said Waugh, who only played a couple of ODIs against Yuvraj, told the India batter to get up and face the music when he was hit by a bouncer. “For me, it’s a war fought by gentlemen. While you are in the field, there are times you are just going through the motions, and people should understand this. I don’t know whether you have heard what Australians do on the field. They abuse everything which is in the world. They use every harsh word in the dictionary. I remember when Yuvraj was hit by a ball and he fell. Steve Waugh came and said, ‘Get up, this is not school cricket, you bloody kid’,” Yograj told Inside Sports. Why Yuvraj Singh had an argument with Andrew Flintoff Yograj then went on to add that what transpired between Yuvraj and Flintoff was only because his son had learnt to swear and give it back to the opposition after getting the wrath from Waugh. “And he just got up and he was standing. And then he would swear like this and what happened with Flintoff and Yuvi,” Yograj added. Yuvraj was Player of the Match on his international debut in the Champions Trophy quarterfinal against Australia in 2000 in Nairobi, Kenya. Coming in to bat at No.5, the youngster fresh from success in the U19 World Cup, took on the best of the Australian bowlers on his way to a stroke-filled 84 off 80 balls that included 12 boundaries that helped India post 265/9. Yuvraj always displayed tremendous fielding skills. He took a sharp catch to dismiss Ian Harvey and then Australia a body blow by running out Michael Bevan, one of the best finishes of the game. India won the match by 20 runs after bowling Australia out for 245 to advance to the semi-final of the tournament. Yograj said emotions are bound to fluctuate when players represent their country, so one shouldn’t harp too much about it. “You are still friends when you go out. Everybody is not the same. Emotions go, forgive them. Obviously, at the end of the day, you are friends. You say sorry to each other and that is over. Have a big heart. Don’t get into all these petty things. There is nonsense going on, fining kids and all this kind of stuff. It doesn’t matter,” he added.