
ENG vs IND: Stokes, Gill question short 3-day gap between Tests in 5-match series
The England captain acknowledged the demands of such a long series, particularly on the fast-bowling units. "It has been tough for both teams. It's been a lot of overs for bowlers, lots of time out on the field - that's part of the game. But maybe you could ask, did we need eight or nine-day breaks and then just three days? Could it be four or five for each?"India skipper Shubman Gill echoed similar sentiments, especially with every match in the series so far stretching deep into the final day."One of the most important things in this series is that all the matches have gone to Day Five - and not just that, the final session of Day Five," Gill said. "I can't remember a series where all four Test matches played so far have gone right down to the last moments. So yes, it is definitely hard."Gill acknowledged the logistical challenges of a longer series but felt the three-day breaks were insufficient under such intense circumstances."Three days is too short a turnaround when both teams are playing such hard cricket. We also understand that if you keep giving five or six days after every match, the tour becomes very long. So yes, I think it's a decision taken by the boards," he added.As the fifth and final Test looms, both captains' comments have brought renewed focus on player workload and the need for balanced scheduling in the era of high-intensity, long-format cricket.- EndsYou May Also Like

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Hindustan Times
12 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Ravindra Jadeja's 3D supremacy hits new peak: rock-solid batter now leads India's fightbacks, not just finishes them
It's not often that two Indian batters have made upwards of 500 runs in a Test series. Before this ongoing skirmish against England, only once previously – in 1971, during their historic tour of the Caribbean – had that feat been achieved, through debutant Sunil Gavaskar (774 runs) and the seasoned Dilip Sardesai (642). London: India's batter Ravindra Jadeja celebrates his half century during the third day of the fifth Test match between India and England(PTI) At Old Trafford last week, KL Rahul (532) helped India replicate that achievement by joining sensational first-time skipper Shubman Gill (754) in the 500-club. On Saturday at The Oval, Ravindra Jadeja became India's third 500-plus batter of the series with a fifth half-century to go with a match-saving unbeaten 107 in Manchester. Jadeja's continued blossoming as a Test batter has been one of the many illuminating storylines of a series most compelling. It took the left-hander a half-dozen years to crack the Test batting code, but once he turned the corner on the tour of England, coincidentally, in 2018, there has been no stopping him. Over the last five Tests, Jadeja has shown stupendous consistency. Saturday was the first time he was dismissed in the second innings; his earlier second-innings scores weren't trifling – 25, 69, 61 and 107. Throw in first-innings half-centuries in Birmingham and at Lord's, and the picture of a hungry, hardly satisfied batter determined to discharge his responsibilities and shepherd a still-inexperienced batting line-up is complete. Until he started to believe in his batting abilities in the five-day game, Jadeja was pretty much a defensive left-arm spinner overseas and a deadly one in helpful home conditions, and an electric all-round fielder who moved like a gazelle, swooped on the ball like an eagle attacking its prey, and threw the orb as if swapping his shoulder for a cannon. Now, he has metamorphosed into the ultimate 3D cricketer – to borrow a term from former chief selector MSK Prasad – whose pre-eminence is evident from his status as the No. 1 all-rounder in Test cricket. Innately intelligent though he hasn't got as much credit for that facet as he should have, Jadeja's watertight defence is his go-to option these days at the start of an innings, when he absorbs pressure like a sponge. His defensive technique has gradually, with plenty of work behind the scenes, gone from passable to excellent. His once-hard hands have developed a lot of 'give' and their softness has allowed him to keep down nasty lifters. In the dressing-room, there is a sense of calm no matter when Jadeja walks out. They know that for the most part, he won't throw his hand away – saying that, he could so easily have been out first ball in Manchester had Joe Root not shelled a simple catch in the second innings – and that there are few better than him in their midst at reading a situation and reacting accordingly. The art of batting alongside tailenders One of Jadeja's great traits is that he doesn't allow himself to get bogged down. In this series, 48.1% of his runs have come in boundaries (53 fours, six sixes), yet his strike-rate is a more-than-acceptable 55.06, which speaks to his ease at rotating strike and ensuring that bowlers aren't able to line up a specific batter. He is adept at batting with the specialists and the all-rounders, but at Lord's, he revealed a new facet – the art of getting the tail to play above itself, something VVS Laxman was outstanding at. Jadeja did farm the strike when he batted alongside Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj after India slumped to 112 for eight while chasing 193 for victory. But he also allowed the two pacers to develop confidence in themselves by not attempting the outrageous in trying to keep the lion's share of the bowling. Bumrah negotiated 54 of the 132 deliveries faced by the ninth-wicket pair, while Siraj's share in the 80-ball last-wicket stand was 30. Batting with bowlers isn't easy, but it is an integral part of the arsenal when one is occupying slots at No. 6 or 7, where Jadeja has spent most of the second part of his Test career. He is now a more complete batter than he ever was, and now that he has been joined in the genuine spin-bowling all-rounders' band by the exceptional Washington Sundar, India can so easily field Kuldeep Yadav's left-arm wrist-spin on home patch without compromising on the batting depth they so desperately crave. It's sometimes easy to forget, given how lithely athletic he is and how lightly the years sit on him, that Jadeja will turn 37 in four months' time. He has been an under-sung, if not unsung, Indian hero for long, but especially with his recent batting exploits, he is getting his place in the sun. Finally. And deservedly.


Time of India
12 minutes ago
- Time of India
India Test skipper Shubman Gill completes 6000 international runs in his career
Shubman Gill crossed the 6000-run milestone in international cricket during the fifth Test match against England. While he managed to score just 11 runs in the second innings at The Oval, his overall career now has an impressive tally of 18 centuries and 25 half-centuries. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Indian Test captain Shubman Gill on Saturday completed 6000 international runs during the third day of the fifth and final Test match of the ongoing Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025, which is being played at the Kennington Oval in the second innings of the ongoing Oval Test, Shubman Gill scored just 11 runs of nine balls, which was laced by two boundaries. With this knock, the cricketer touched the 6000-run mark in his cricketing has scored 6000 runs in 113 matches at an average of 46.15 and a strike rate of 79.88 with the help of 18 tons and 25 half-centuries. His highest score of his career is 269 against England, which came in the second Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025 against the ODIs, the right-hand batter slammed 2775 runs in the 55 matches at an average of 59.04 and a strike rate of 99.56, which came with the help of eight centuries and 15 fifties with a best score of the Tests, the 25-year-old player has smashed 2647 runs in the 67 innings he has played so far at an average of 41.35 and a strike rate of 61.42 with a best score of 269. In the longest format of the game, he has managed to score nine hundreds and seven T20Is, Gill has scored 578 runs in the 21 matches at an average of 30.42 and a strike rate of 139.27 with the help of three fifties and one century with a highest score of 126*.With this 11-run knock, Gill became the second player with the second-most runs in a single Test series by an Indian cricketer, which is 754. The first in the list is legendary batter Sunil Gavaskar, who scored 774 against West Indies during the 1971 Test other names in this list were Gavaskar once again (732 runs against West Indies), Indian opener Yashasvi Jaiswal (712 runs against England), and former India skipper Virat Kohli (692 runs against Australia).With this knock, Gill also became the second most run-getter as a skipper in a single series, as he scored 754 runs in the eight innings of the Test series. The first in the list is former Australian cricketer Don Bradman, who scored 810 runs against England in the 1936/37 Test other captains to achieve the same landmark are Graham Gooch (752 against India), Gavaskar (732 runs against West Indies) and David Gower (732 against England).


Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
IND vs ENG Test: Sachin Tendulkar lauds Yashasvi Jaiswal's courage, and Akash Deep's heart - 'On a sporting pitch...'
London: India's batter Akash Deep celebrates his half century with teammate Yashasvi Jaiswal during the third day of the fifth Test match between India and England, at The Oval cricket ground, in London, England. (PTI Photo/R Senthilkumar)(PTI08_02_2025_000274A) Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar and the cricket community praised 23-year-old Yashasvi Jaiswal for scoring his fourth overseas century during India's fifth Test against England at Kennington Oval. Jaiswal reached his century in 127 deliveries during a crucial moment on the third day of the match, celebrating with his parents and the crowd after scoring a single off Gus Atkinson. Jaiswal's century came at a critical time for India, showcasing his batting prowess on a challenging pitch. He celebrated his achievement by punching the air and blowing kisses to the stands as spectators and his parents applauded his performance. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! "Outstanding 100 by Yashasvi on a sporting pitch that tested courage and concentration. Full marks to Akashdeep too, batting with heart and determination under pressure. Keep fighting, India," Sachin Tendulkar wrote on social media platform X. Former cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar highlighted Jaiswal's consistent performance, stating, "160 & couple of quality 80s in Australia in BGT, only batter who carried his form in that series. Now 2 hundreds in England! One in the first Test and this in the last. Again carrying form till the end. Take a bow Yashasvi Jaiswal!" Former all-rounder Irfan Pathan expressed his admiration for Jaiswal on X: "Yashasvi Jaiswal, the most talented left-hander going around in test cricket at the moment. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Is this legal? Access all TV channels without a subscription! Techno Mag Learn More Undo High pressure." Yashasvi Jaiswal press conference: Message from Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli help, support from Gambhir Former England cricketer Michael Atherton praised Jaiswal's performance while commenting for Sky Sports: "Jaiswal is an outstanding young player. He started this series with a hundred and is finishing it with another - and it may be a hundred that takes India into a winning position. Jaiswal was dropped twice and is not a player you want to give chances to. He is one of the best young players in the world and scored a century that almost elicited a smile from India's coach. Smile, Gambhir, come on!" Jaiswal's innings ended at 118 runs from 164 balls when he attempted an upper cut shot, a technique he had successfully used throughout his second innings. The shot was well-timed but found Jamie Overton at third man, bringing his impressive performance to a close. India's head coach Gautam Gambhir was seen standing and applauding Jaiswal's performance, acknowledging the young player's achievement. For real-time updates, scores, and highlights, follow our live coverage of the India vs England Test match here. Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!