
'India's Bowling Stronger...': Shubman Gill And Co Receive Big Verdict For England Test Series
Renowned cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle believes that the Indian cricket team bowling attack is currently stronger than their batting ahead of the five-match Test series against England. The side, under the leadership of Shubman Gill, will start their campaign in England on June 20. Bhogle, who will be heard on On Sony Sports Ten 1 & Ten 5 channels, said that India's batters are largely untested in English conditions and as a result, he believes that the bowlers are slightly ahead. However, he added that the series will be a golden opportunity for all the Indian batters to step up and prove their mettle as the side will be missing the star power and experience of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.
"With India, I actually think the bowling is stronger at this stage. I hope they get to a stage where I am proved wrong and that the batting shines again - Yashasvi and Rahul have a great partnership, Gill gets into form, Pant gets back to the format he is best at. Look- I think, the No Virat Kohli situation… in the minds of many people, we had started getting used to a scenario when he won't be around. 2 years before Tendulkar finished you knew that the change was going to come, you had started to get your mind around the fact that he may not be there. The great thing about this sport is, great players go and then great players come in.. that is the one thing we must be excited about in this series…how are all these players going to take one step up in their career," Bhogle told NDTV.
When it comes to India's bowling, Bhogle explained that Bumrah will make a huge difference in English conditions and even tipped the likes of Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna to perform well.
"Largely because India' s batting is untested in these conditions. That is my view at the moment. I am waiting to be proven wrong.. it is the start of the series. Since Bumrah is around, even when he is not playing he will make a huge difference. I am very happy that you made a mention of the two names we do not talk about their stellar careers- Shami and Ashwin. In Siraj, another player we don't talk often about, may not be enough of a box office material, but he has been fantastic over the years. Prasidh Krishna is full of promise.. I liked what I saw of Akash Deep in Aus. These conditions might favour him. Sourav Ganguly has spoken about Arshdeep Singh...If the pitch is dry, Kuldeep will come in."

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


Hindustan Times
13 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
With Alappuzha Gymkhana, Khalid Rahman reignites the sports drama free of its genre clichés
For as long as I can remember, the sports drama genre in Indian Cinema has been about the underdog story. Films in this genre chart the predictable arc of a character who is initially treated as a throwaway, an extra. Then they survive, persevere, and learn the game day in and day out to ultimately become a master. There is no question about it, the protagonist will win in the end. Sure, there is nothing wrong with that story, but why do we insist on this template over and over again? Surely, not everyone is cut out for a game or destined to be a champion. Khalid Rahman's Alappuzha Gymkhana is one of those rare sports dramas that understands this very contradiction. The idea that figuring out can be a sport of its own, where there will be a mix of wins and losses. Rahman's fifth feature is a joyous, welcoming departure from the pitiless cliches of the genre of a sports film, a sort of clutter-breaker that punches the genre itself to secure the win. (Also read: Tourist Family marks the arrival of a major new voice in Abishan Jeevinth) The film sets off unassumingly, when Jojo (a charming performance from Naslen) has an incredulous idea. He convinces his gang- Shifas Ahmed (Sandeep Pradeep), Shifas 'Cheruth' Ali (Franco Francis), DJ (Baby Jean), and Shanavas (Shiva Hariharan) to get into boxing, as that can get them easily into college through the sports quota. Later, a self-taught fighter, Deepak (a scene-stealing turn from Ganapathi), also joins. Their shared conviction is what gives the film its light-hearted energy: these boys do not know much about what's in store for them in the upcoming few weeks, and are up for the demands of the game. Their earnestness is the right step in the direction. The physical training begins, and from hereon, Alappuzha Gymkhana traces the journey of these boys as they prepare for the district-level games. Rahman's control over the tone of the film is utterly refreshing here. The boys share a doggedness as a whole, but what is unmistakable is that each of them arrives at the game with their quirks and concerns. That shows in the way they enter the ring and face the opponent. Jojo is excellent at boosting the morale of his boys when needed, but is not too sure about his own game. He understands it just in time, and Rahman gracefully welcomes that wisdom. But then Cheruth shows what he is capable of in the ring, and the mood of the team suddenly shifts. Their coach (Lukman Avaran) is exacting and determined, but the film is intelligent enough not to give him a flat, unidimensional role. It is not like he can do no wrong, or that he is simply always correct about his instincts. At the end, he is just as capable of losing his calm. But Alappuzha Gymkhana is so much more than just the idea of winning. Yes, the game matters to these boys for the time being, but thank goodness this film makes it clear that this is not the end of the world. This is a film that truly gets these boys and their careless, uninhibited spirit. Rahman builds their story just with the sheer force of conviction, peppering the narrative with their idiosyncratic day-to-day practice sessions. There's a lot of love and dignity for these boys here. The film does not boast of walking over these kids with a superior sort of intelligence, and dares them to see what lies beyond the next few days. Jojo sees himself a little too clearly by the end, and that little pronouncement is no less than a win. Unlike so many other sports dramas of yore, Alappuzha Gymkhana prioritises the life-force that these boys bring to the ring and does not punish them for their somewhat naive choices. The boys lose at certain points, accept defeat, and continue to cheer on for their friends. There's no self-aggrandising on the fact that one of them won or the other lost. It is all part of the game, is it not? Just like life. The boys work as a team, and their collective bond is so much bigger and valuable than winning or losing. Alappuzha Gymkhana is one of those films that might or might not inspire a young kid to take up boxing, but it will reaffirm the idea that whatever they may take up in life at some point, they might as well give it their all. Such is life, it gives you chances and then asks one fine morning, 'Are you ready to fight for what's yours?' Alappuzha Gymkhana is available to stream on SonyLiv.


Hindustan Times
36 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
'Rishabh Pant, forget about being vice-captain of Team India': Gautam Gambhir 'must have a chat' with India keeper
"Rishabh, tu apna game khel, forget that you are the vice captain of Team India," that's the only advice India head coach Gautam Gambhir should give the wicketkeeper-batter before the five-match Test series against England, starting June 20, feels former India batter Hemang Badani. Pant, officially part of the leadership group for the first time, will have the task of ushering in the new era of India's Test side under captain Shubman Gill. With the retirement of R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, India lost the experience of nearly 300 Tests at one go. Filling that gap in in between two series is asking for Rome to be built in a day. But to the relief of India fans, they have players like Pant to bank on. Yes, one can bank on Pant in Test cricket. He did not have the best of times in Australia earlier this year. His IPL 2025, as the most expensive player in the league's history, didn't go as LSG would have hoped for but he still is one of India's best bets with the bat every time they step onto the field wearing whites. 1681 runs in SENA countries at an average of 37.81 with centuries everywhere barring New Zealand, scream Pant's potential as a batter. Few would argue that Pant, in only the first five years of his Test career, has already played some of the best knocks by an Indian in overseas conditions. The last Test that India played in England, Pant blasted 146 off 111 balls in the first innings where India were reduced to 98 for 5. This was his second Test century in England in as many tours. In his debut in Nottingham, seven years ago, he got off the mark with a six on the second ball that he faced in international cricket. In the practice sessions that India have had in the lead up to the five-match Test series, Pant has shown no signs of relenting – He dented the roof in one of the stands at Lords' and sent people living nearby the Beckenham ground ducking for cover with blistering sixes. Badani, a former India batter and now the head coach of Delhi Capitals, wants to see this version of Rishabh Pant next week, not the heavily cautious vice captain of the Indian Test side, weighed down by responsibility and expectations. "I genuinely hope it doesn't change one bit. I think he is somebody who has found the right balance of attacking stroke-making and defensive stroke-making in this cricket. So I don't see any reason why you should try and change that," Badani told Hindustan Times in an exclusive chat. Badani said Gambhir and the Indian team management should have a chat with him before the Test series and make it clear that he should continue playing his natural game that has brought him success in red-ball cricket in the last six or seven years. He didn't become vice captain of the Indian side because he was subdued. He was chosen for a leadership role because of the sheer success he has had in Test cricket by thinking positively. "It's important that someone like Gautam Gambhir, the head coach, has a chat with him and speaks to him and says, 'Rishabh tu apna game khel.' Don't think too hard about captaincy, vice captaincy, you're the second in command, none of that. "There is a certain way that you've played over the years and that has worked well for you. And I think it will work well for us if he does that again, because he is a batter who comes to the bat at times when the second new ball is due," Badani added. There may be a lot of changes in the Indian batting line-up after Rohit and Kohli's retirement but Pant is certain to bat at No.5. Badani believes he has chance to keep the opposition under pressure at that number. "You want to keep the bowling on the mat, you want to keep them under pressure rather than keep leaving balls and let them settle down into a good line and length. It then it becomes easier for the bowler to try and pick wickets. "He needs to think like Rishabh Pant and nothing else. The management will have a massive say in this as to how free he is as a batter. And they should give him the freedom to go and bat with utmost positivity and not hold him back. Because the only challenge is that when you see a batter isn't having the right balance, but he does have the right balance." ((Watch India tour of England from 3:30 PM, June 20th onwards LIVE On Sony Sports Ten 1 & Sony Sports Ten 5 channels))


Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
PGTI kicks off today in Ludhiana: 72 players vie for ₹20-lakh prize
The fifth event of the 2025 Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) season will be played at the Imperial Golf Estate in Ludhiana from June 17 to 19. The tournament offers a prize purse of ₹20 lakh and marks the debut of professional golf and the PGTI in Ludhiana. The event will be played over three rounds (54 holes) with the cut being applied after two rounds (36 holes). The top 36 players and ties will make the cut for the third and final round. The tournament features a field of 72 players. The field will feature leading professional golfers from across India. The PGTI Order of Merit is currently being led by Rajesh Kumar Gautam of Lucknow who has a season's earnings of ₹4,29,600. The winner of this year's Order of Merit will earn an exemption on the main tour (PGTI) for the 2026 season. Amandeep Johl, CEO, PGTI, said, 'We are delighted to explore new territory this week as the PGTI makes its debut at The Imperial Golf Estate in Ludhiana. This initiative is part of our larger objective of growing the game across the country. Staging events in tier two cities will help us in further expanding the talent pool for golf and also create a wider audience and fan-base for the game.' Johl said that Punjab has been a powerhouse of Indian sport, and they would like to use this opportunity to tap into the golfing potential of the state. 'We thank The Imperial Golf Estate for partnering with us in staging this event,' he added.