Kishtwar encounter: Two Jaish Terrorists Killed, Operation Continues In Dense Forest
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Delhi Capitals coach Hemang Badani blamed their IPL 2025 exit on not finding a settled opening pair. Despite a bright start, instability in the batting order ultimately derailed their push for a playoffs spot.
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Hindustan Times
6 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
I didn't want to be considered for captaincy: Bumrah
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. 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.'
NDTV
8 hours ago
- NDTV
Ahead Of Test Series Against England, Suryakumar Yadav Arrives In London. Reason Is...
India's T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav is currently in London, for right-side sports hernia treatment and is expected to be sidelined for a few weeks, says a report. While the Indian Test team, led by Shubman Gill, is gearing up for the five-match series against England, the 34-year-old white-ball maestro is utilising the current break in India's limited-overs schedule to focus on his recovery and long-term fitness. According to News24, Suryakumar's treatment will start next week and is expected to return to cricketing field by August. Although the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has not issued an official statement, reports suggest the medical procedure could require up to two months of recovery. The timing works in Yadav's favour, as India have no T20I commitments until August, when they travel to Bangladesh for a white-ball tour. That will be followed by home series against South Africa and the West Indies, before an away trip to Australia, all of which are part of India's build-up to the 2026 T20 World Cup. Suryakumar's decision to undergo the procedure now is strategic, allowing him to return fully fit for the crucial upcoming T20 cycle. And he'll be missed — the Mumbai batter has been in red-hot form, particularly in the IPL 2025 season, where he was a standout performer. Leading the charge for Mumbai Indians, Suryakumar amassed 717 runs in 16 matches at an average of 65.18 and a strike rate of 167.9. Remarkably, he scored 25 or more in all 16 innings, setting a new T20 record for most consecutive 25 scores. His consistency was pivotal in propelling MI to the playoffs, though their campaign ended in Qualifier 2 with a loss to Punjab Kings. Post-IPL, Suryakumar turned up for Triumph Knights MNE in the Mumbai T20 League, but the team managed just one win in five matches, missing out on playoff qualification. He contributed 122 runs in five innings during that stint.
Hindustan Times
9 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
'Shubman Gill will be 3rd or 4th most influential person in India after Prime Minister': Jos Buttler
Shubman Gill, the current Indian Test captain, will become the third or fourth most influential person in the country after the Prime Minister, feels England white-ball great Jos Buttler. Gill, who was named captain of India's Test side after Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from red-ball cricket last month, will make a new beginning of the Indian side minus legends like Virat Kohli and Ravichandran Ashwin, when they take on England in a five-match Test series starting June 20 in Leeds. Before that, Buttler shared his thoughts on Gill and his leadership qualities. "I don't think we can quite understand the level of interest and the stardom that these guys have. You see it around the IPL, you're aware of it, but actually living that yourself… I think they say the Indian Test captain is like the third or fourth most influential person in India, behind the Prime Minister etc. - so you really are put up on that pedestal," Buttler told former England fast bowler Stuart Broad in the For The Love Of Cricket podcast. Buttler played under Gill's captaincy in IPL 2025 when he turned up for the Gujarat Titans after not being retained by the Rajasthan Royals ahead of the mega auction. Both Gill and Buttler had an excellent season with the bat, along with Sai Sudharsan, as the trio formed a strong top-order that helped GT move into the playoffs this year. When Broad asked Buttler to explain Shubman Gill as a leader, the former England captain used words like "calm," "measured," and "interesting." To put matters into perspective, Butter called Gill a mixture of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli when it comes to captaining the side. Kohli was an in-your-face captain, while Rohit was calmer and laid-back, but both had a high level of intensity on the field. "He's a really impressive player and an impressive young man," Buttler said. "He's pretty calm and measured when he speaks, but [it's] interesting, I feel like on the field he's got a bit of fight about him; a bit of intensity, quite passionate. I think he'll be a mix of Kohli and Rohit. "Kohli [was] that sort of real aggressive [character], really transformed the Indian team, in your face, up for the contest. Rohit [was] a bit on the other side, a bit more laid back, very cool, calm, collected customer, but with that sort of fight. I feel like, from my time knowing Shubman so far, he'll be a bit in the middle. He's obviously learned from those two guys… but he'll be very much his own man." Buttler said one of Gill's biggest challenges will be to ensure that he does not let the captaincy affect his batting - as happened with Buttler towards the end of his England's white-ball captaincy. "He talked about compartmentalising batting and captaining; so when he's batting, he just wants to be a batter, and then he will try and work on his captaincy and try and separate the two roles," Butler said. "When you're doing such a big job as being captain of the Indian cricket team, he'll have to try and do that well and have some good people supporting him."
