
Ashwin in the eye of a storm again
The former Indian off-spinner is running into one controversy after the other in the ongoing Tamil Nadu Premier League.

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India Today
11 minutes ago
- India Today
I refused BCCI's offer of Test captaincy: Jasprit Bumrah
Senior India bowler Jasprit Bumrah has said he refused the Indian Test captaincy, offered to him by the Indian Cricket Board (BCCI) during the Indian Premier League. Speaking to Sky Sports, Bumrah said that he was managing his workload and needed to be smarter to play for a prolonged amount of who has been injury-prone for several years now, recently pulled out midway through the final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The injury forced Bumrah to miss the Champions Trophy, one that India won under the leadership of Rohit said that the BCCI wanted him to take over the Indian team from the England series, much before Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli called time on their careers. "Before Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli retired — during the IPL, I had spoken to BCCI, that I have discussed workload going forward in a five-match Test series. I have spoken to people who manage my back — we came to the conclusion that I have to be a little more smart. Then I called the BCCI that I don't want to be looked at for the leadership role because I won't be able to play all the Test matches," Jasprit Bumrah told Sky Sports in an interview."BCCI was looking at me for the leadership role, but I had to say no to them because it's not ideal when someone is leading for 3 Tests, then someone else has to lead the rest of the Tests. So it's not fair for the team, as I wanted to put the team first," Jasprit Bumrah AGARKAR'S VERSIONadvertisementBumrah's statement comes in sharp contrast to what the chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar had said at the press conference while announcing Shubman Gill as the captain of the men's Test had said that the Indian Cricket Board wanted Bumrah to focus on his workload issues, rather than taking the additional burden of Test captaincy. Agarkar further added that the decision was communicated to Bumrah, and the fast bowler was okay with the explanation given to him by the board."Because he led in Australia, Bumrah was the vice-captain (in BGT 2024-25). Once he was not going to be available for all the Test matches, I think he is more important to us as a player. We want him fit. I think there is always that extra burden as a leader, managing 15–16 other people. There's a lot that it takes out of you. We would rather have him bowling well rather than putting that extra burden on him," Agarkar said in the press conference in Watch


News18
12 minutes ago
- News18
Nick Knight Says Shreyas Iyer Missing From Squad, Backs Playing Kuldeep Yadav
Last Updated: Nick Knight believes Shreyas Iyer would have aided India's transition in England and highlights Kuldeep Yadav as a potential trump card. Former opener Nick Knight believes that Shreyas Iyer's presence in India's Test squad for the England tour would have significantly aided the team's transition. However, he identifies Kuldeep Yadav as a potential trump card for the visitors in the series starting on June 20. With Iyer absent, Knight has high hopes for players like Kuldeep and Sai Sudharsan, who is expected to make his Test debut at Leeds, the venue for the series opener. With India fielding an inexperienced batting line-up following the retirements of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, Knight, now a well-known commentator, highlights K L Rahul's role in providing much-needed stability to the top order. Knight, in an interview with PTI, emphasised the importance of taking 20 wickets if India are to win their first series in England since The 55-year-old, who played 17 Tests and 100 ODIs for England, insists India should not compromise their bowling to bolster their batting. Excerpts from the interview: How would you assess the preparation of the Indian team, considering a chunk of the players were also part of the two 'A' games against England Lions? Probably the most important thing from the preparation point of view is what happened in Northampton. I'm a huge fan of K L Rahul (he scored a hundred there). I'm also a fan of him opening the batting. In all formats, his best position is right at the top of the order. I understand that he's been used in different roles along the way, but his experience of opening the batting in Test match cricket in England, scoring runs is so crucial. Now, there's just a little bit more opportunity, perhaps, for players to stake their claim in warm-up games. Karun Nair has clearly taken a chance to impress (with a double hundred for India A). Jaiswal has been a little short of his best form, if I'm honest. If I was an Indian player, Indian selector or Indian fan, I would want to see him with a little bit more form, ideally. But does that mean that I'm not going to pick him at the top of the order? No, I would definitely play him to open with K L Rahul. Sai Sudarshan, for me, he slots in at number three, Shubhman Gill at number four, and then you go from there. Sai is a very good player. He plays late. You'll hear that a lot during this series. Players that play the ball underneath their eyeline, by the front pad, not get out in front of you, follow the ball a little bit, play the early line, don't follow the line as it moves laterally… all those sorts of things which are key to being successful in English conditions. Would you have picked K L Rahul as captain, or have India made the right investment in Gill who is yet to prove himself with the bat in SENA countries? It's a pretty wise decision. Shubman is a shrewd cricketer. The question mark, with a decision like that would be, and maybe that's what you're alluding to, with reference to his own form and how he's going to cope with the captaincy based upon him being one of, if not the best player in the side. Do you see any technical issues in Gill's batting? Well, when I've been out in India (for IPL commentary), I always highlight the same thing, really. Sometimes with Shubman, more so when you're sort of a little lacking in confidence and striving for things a little bit for your form, sometimes that front leg just pushes across a little bit too much. And, therefore, the rotation of the body and accessing the ball and playing around that front pad. But of late, I haven't seen that quite so much, if I'm brutally honest. …But it becomes more important when you've got a left-armer coming over the wicket and swinging it back into the pads. That's something that he will probably be always aware of. That line outside off stump, again, will be the challenge for all these top-order players, particularly in England. Do you think India can cover for the loss of Rohit and Kohli in the near future? If there was ever a time for Indian cricket to cope with losing Rohit and Virat, it's now. I'm going to be brutally honest here. Shreyas Iyer should be here. That would have helped this transition a little bit more. But there's still plenty of ability there. We have spoken about the batting, what about India's bowling line-up? Last time India were over here, that bowling attack was phenomenal. And my view is, if India are going to win this series, the focus for me is a little bit more on the ball than the bat. Are India going to be able to get 20 wickets? I want to play Kuldeep as much as possible. If the ball is turning on day three, day four, Kuldeep plays. England will least want to face Kuldeep. top videos View all Bumrah is separate to that discussion because he's the very best in the world at the moment. England like to attack. England want to take the game on. I don't think they're going to want to be so brave and bold. They'll find that harder against the likes of Kuldeep bowling in those middle overs. (With inputs from PTI) First Published: June 17, 2025, 18:38 IST News cricket Nick Knight Says Shreyas Iyer Missing From Squad, Backs Playing Kuldeep Yadav


The Hindu
15 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Hyderabad police strengthens anti-human trafficking and child protection with new victim assistance centre
A new Victim Assistance Unit, Telangana's first dedicated centre aimed at providing support to survivors of human trafficking, was launched at the Central Crime Station (CCS), Hyderabad, on Tuesday. The unit, developed in collaboration with NGO Prajwala, is designed to help victims recollect their trauma in a safe, informed environment and support them through the judicial process, including preparation for court depositions. It will also assist in linking survivors with legal aid, State-run rehabilitation schemes and psycho-social counselling for rehabilitation and reintegration into society. Staff from Prajwala will operate the centre under the supervision of the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Women Safety Wing. Hyderabad Police Commissioner C.V. Anand also inaugurated newly reorganised and dedicated facilities for its Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU) and Juvenile Bureau (JB) Unit. These reorganisations follow a Government Order issued by the Home Department on April 30, 2023, which initially brought the AHTU under the Women Safety Wing. A subsequent Government Order dated April 24, 2025, formally constituted these wings with a clearly sanctioned strength of personnel. The AHTU is staffed with eight officers, including an inspector, two sub-inspectors, two head constables, and three police constables. The unit has been tasked with identifying trafficking hotspots both online and offline, conducting rescue operations, gathering actionable intelligence, and closely monitoring the movements and networks of traffickers - including pimps, brothel operators, touts and their clientele. In the current year alone, the AHTU has registered 23 cases, rescued 44 victims, and arrested 71 individuals involved in trafficking-related crimes. The unit is also engaged in following up trial cases and facilitating the repatriation of Indian victims as well as the deportation of foreign nationals in coordination with relevant authorities. The Juvenile Bureau Team, also functioning as the Special Juvenile Police Unit (SJPU), has been given a sanctioned strength of seven officers, and is based out of CCS Hyderabad. It focuses on protecting children from abuse, child labour, bonded labour and trafficking. The team works in close coordination with the Child Welfare Committee and has so far this year repatriated four children within Telangana and seven to other States. Under the 'Operation Smile' and 'Operation Muskan' drives, 896 children have been rescued to date.