
R Ashwin Spoke To 'Big Cricketer' During Lord's Test, Both Felt Ravindra Jadeja Should've...
"I was messaging a big cricketer throughout the match. I won't take his name, but both of us were discussing the match. Both of us felt that Jadeja should have probably taken a little more risk, but not a lot. The way he played, hats off! Jaddu showed an entire generation of Gen Bold that you can play with patience and skin the Test game," Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
Ashwin further said that both Jadeja and Siraj should have targeted Shoaib Bashir rather than constantly defending the deliveries. Both batters tried to play out the balls but Ashwin believed that a slightly more aggressive approach could have helped them to relieving the pressure.
"He could have picked one moment with Siraj and asked him to go after Bashir because Siraj can hit a clean ball. He can hit a spinner to the leg side with the slope," Ashwin said.
Legendary India skipper Anil Kumble also echoed similar sentiments as Ashwin.
"I was just reminded of one Test match where I lost by 12 runs against Pakistan in Chennai. It (Siraj's dismissal) was a similar kind of dismissal. Just 22 runs. Jadeja left stranded. I mean, he planned to get India this close to winning. But England just stuck to their task," Kumble, who was a part of that line-up in Chennai, said on 'JioHotstar'.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Deccan Herald
an hour ago
- Deccan Herald
Solly Adam's heart beats for Asian cricketers
Manchester: Talk to Indian cricketers of yore who played in the County Championship or leagues in the United Kingdom, and a vast majority will have something great to say about Suleman Adam, popularly known as Solly Adam. 'Solly bhai is the reason why I could play County cricket,' 'Solly bhai took care of us like we were his family,' 'I struggled to find a place to stay, and Solly bhai accommodated me,'… the tributes keep pouring in from legends like Sunil Gavaskar, Mohinder Amarnath, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, and even from superstars from across the border like Javed Miandad, Imran Khan, Abdul Qadir and Iqbal Indian cricketers may not find English cricket appealing as most national-level cricketers make a decent living due to the strong domestic structure and high-rewarding IPL, but there was a time when making a trip to the UK was necessary for a majority of them. Cricket in England took place during the home off-season, and Indians and Pakistanis, who were largely free then when their countries didn't play here, hoped to find a team to further their cricketing education. .It wasn't difficult for the established names, but for a lot of others who aspired to play Tier 2 or Tier 3 cricket during the weekend to earn some extra pounds, they needed an 'agent' who could facilitate that. Also, playing in England boosted their resume, and performances here enhanced their chances of a national call-up too. And Solly, whose family migrated to the UK in the late 1960s, did that selflessly, instrumental in getting over 400 Asian cricketers in play in the leagues here without expecting or taking a quid in return..'The journey started with Rahul Mankad,' Solly tells DH at his sports store in Dewsbury, a town in Yorkshire which is an hour's drive from Manchester. 'Rahul came first here and he was playing for Clark Eaton. So, I went to meet him and invited him over to my place. During dinner, he said he had a lot of his friends like Karsan Ghavri, Suru Nayak and Vijay Mohanraj who would like to come and play in England and asked if I could fix them up at some clubs. So I scouted around and fixed those guys for various teams as in those days, there were no restrictions on the number of players in each team. Next year, I bought four more players from India and the numbers just kept adding up over time,' said Solly, who still runs the petrol bunk started in the early 1970s where legends like Laxman worked during their stay in the UK. .Amongst the biggest names, and a history-making one, Adam brought to these shores was Tendulkar, the first player not born in Yorkshire to represent the county, in 1992. Till the 19-year-old Tendulkar's arrival then, Yorkshire had a strict policy of selecting players only from the county, and Adam had to move mountains to get the club to change its hard-nosed policy..'I met Sachin during my son's wedding in 1990 and asked him if he wanted to play league cricket in the UK. He said he didn't mind. I first brought Vinod Kambli, who was playing for 25 pounds a week. Sachin wanted 100 pounds. At that time, Yorkshire changed their rules and signed an Australian, but he pulled out. So I went to the Yorkshire committee and said if they could sign an Australian, why not an Indian or Pakistani? We had a lot of arguments, and I had to keep travelling from Dewsbury to Leeds. Eventually, they agreed and asked me who I recommended. I instantly said Sachin Tendulkar..'I rang Sachin, and he refused. Then I spoke to Sunil (Gavaskar), who was in Australia, where Sachin was playing. Even the Australians were enamoured by Sachin because Bradman said watching a young Sachin bat reminded him of himself. That news was carried big even in all the newspapers here in the UK, and interest grew (by then, Tendulkar had scored his maiden Test century here and saved the game). After I spoke to Sunil, he spoke to Sachin, and Sachin rang me up saying, 'Solly bhai, I'm coming.' He was the first Asian to come here.'.What endeared Solly, which has been chronicled in the book 'Solly Adam: Beyond Boundaries' by Vara Vantapati, to everyone who met him was his hospitality and humbleness. Although he was a businessman, he never expected a penny from the players for getting deals with county clubs. For many from modest backgrounds who found the city and language hard to tackle, he provided food and accommodation. During weekdays, the players returned the favour by working in his petrol bunks, an organic development.


The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
The icing on the cake while covering a sport
More than a decade ago, my professor at journalism school advised us to always carry a few chocolates or an energy bar while we were on the field. This was to counter the uncertain world of day-to-day reporting, where both availability of food and windows to eat are erratic. However, I took up sports journalism, where a day is more structured. We know of events beforehand, and we usually cover a sport which has designated breaks for lunch and tea, and of late, even dinner. This has given us the opportunity to explore multiple culinary worlds. So much so that the lunch and tea spreads rank second in the list of our curiosities, just below the great sport itself. There are those who consider catering at stadiums as an enabler and not a main event. It helps scribes do their jobs without having to worry about filling their stomachs. It is a complimentary service, not a right. But cricket in India — at least at a majority of the stadiums — has such good arrangements for food that it has become an integral part of our experience. In this, I can say with authority — and can speak for a lot of others too — that Chennai and its iconic venue Chepauk ranks the best. It did when I worked there from 2012 to 2015, and it still did when I went back last year. During IPL 2024, one favourite dish was kalan pattani milagu peratal (mushrooms and green peas cooked in crushed black pepper and onion masala). It was rich and layered, in line with its long name and elaborate explanation. Bengaluru, my home city; Indore, widely regarded as the street food capital of India; and Ahmedabad, which I have visited often in the past two years, offer excellent spreads too. In fact, cricket reporters regularly upload photos of 'today's menu' on social media platforms, and two enthusiastic journalists even started a web portal to document each venue and the food it had to offer. A month ago, I landed in Leeds, United Kingdom, to cover the opening match of the ongoing five-match Test series between England and India. I had, of course, packed my usual set of ready-to-eat meals, but I was very much looking forward to the lunch and tea buffets at the famed cricket ground in Headingley. Mac and cheese and one boiled vegetable welcomed me on day one. With that, my bubble, which had swollen disproportionately because of years of pampering, burst immediately. The local press corps was upset with the cuisine too, and though things got better in the days ahead and the desserts were outstanding throughout, the first afternoon was a rough reminder that catering was indeed a service and not a right. My colleagues from other Indian media houses, who had past experience of covering cricket in England, assured me that I would be better off in Birmingham, the venue for the second Test. The West Midlands city has a significant Asian population and I was desperate to see that rich diversity reflect in my plate. The Industrial Revolution-era megapolis did not disappoint, with the first afternoon offering masala chickpea salad, Indian chopped salad, slow cooked carrots and broccoli, and home-made flavoured bread. To round it off, there was chocolate mint with chocolate mousse and egg custard tart, tickling my taste buds no end. Wimbledon, my last stop of the work tour, was predictable but perfect. From the menu to the chefs to the counter-managers in the media cafeteria, nothing had changed much since my first visit in 2019. The world famous strawberries and cream was inflation-proof from 2010 to 2024 at £2.50, and rose by 20 pennies only this edition. And like a champion tennis player's repeatable technique, the catering at the All England Club delivers every single time. A great service that everyone rightfully enjoys.


The Print
an hour ago
- The Print
India's trailblazing goalkeeper Aditi Chauhan announces retirement from football
'Thank you, football — for shaping me, testing me, and carrying me through. After 17 unforgettable years, I'm retiring from professional football with deep gratitude and pride,' Aditi wrote in a social media post on Thursday. The former India women's team goalkeeper, 32, now wants to work off the pitch and build a 'stronger pathway and ecosystem' for the next generation. New Delhi, Jul 17 (PTI) Exactly a decade after becoming the first Indian woman to play professional football in Europe, the trailblazing Aditi Chauhan has decided to announce her retirement from the game after a career spanning 17 years. 'This game gave me more than just a career; it gave me an identity. From chasing a dream in Delhi to carving out my own path all the way to the UK, where I pursued my Master's in Sports Management and played for West Ham United – I walked a road with no clear map. 'I never had to choose between education and passion. I fought hard to do both, and that balance has defined me,' she added. During a successful international career, Aditi, who caught everyone's attention after being signed up by West Ham United for the Women's Super League in England, donned the India jersey 57 times and, among others, was part of the senior teams that won the SAFF Women's Championship in 2012, 2016 and 2019. 'I gave everything to the game — my focus, my fire, my body — all in pursuit of that No. 1 jersey for India. But behind the highlights were the quiet battles: the fear of the unknown, the pressure to justify that my path was valid, and the persistent question from society – 'How would you possibly make a living playing football?' 'And then, the injuries. Coming back not once, but twice from ACL injuries, I believe I set an example for other players that one could overcome anything with mental courage. The pain, the doubt, the silence – it was a battle I had to win from within.' She spent two seasons with West Ham before returning to India in early 2018, before joining Gokulam Kerala FC for the 2019-20 Indian Women's League. At the domestic level, Aditi won the Indian Women's League (IWL) title with Gokulam Kerala FC in 2019-20 and 2021-22 besides reaching the semi-finals of the AFC Women's Club Championship and securing a third-place finish. 'What I'm most proud of as a professional athlete is the consistency. Across 17 years, I kept coming back — through setbacks, through injuries, through every doubt — and earned the No. 1 spot time and again.' 'My parents stood by me, picked me up when I needed, pushed me when I slacked a bit. Everything that I am, the things I've been able to achieve have been possible because of my mom, who's quietly just ridden this crazy ride with me and I can't thank god enough for giving her as my mom.' In her final season, she played a key role for the newly-promoted Sribhumi FC, helping the Kolkata-based side to a third-place finish in the IWL. As she steps away from the pitch, Aditi said she still has 'plenty left in the tank to give to the sport' that made her the person that she is today. 'As I now step into life beyond the pitch, I carry that belief with me – not as a player anymore, but as someone committed to building a stronger pathway and ecosystem for the next generation. 'My second half is about giving back to the game that gave me everything,' Aditi wrote. 'The formula remains the same: dream big, believe in yourself, and put in the work,' she signed off. PTI AH AM AH AM AM This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.