Sourav Ganguly Raises Serious Questions On Gautam Gambhir's India XI vs England: "Not Sure 2 Best Spinners Are..."
"I am not sure whether India are playing their two best spinners. England have fielded first, I am surprised with that. I think this is India's best possible chance at the moment. Put runs on the board and hopefully it works out," Sourav Ganguly said during the Tea break on Day 1 of the 1st India vs England Test.
Sunil Gavaskar, former Indian cricket team captain, was unhappy with the side's combination for the second Test against England that started in Birmingham on Wednesday.
"I'm a little baffled that Kuldeep wasn't picked, because on a pitch like this, where everybody says there's a little more turn," said on Sony Sports (via Sportskeeda)
"If your top-order batters are not giving you the runs you expect, then Washington at seven or Nitish Reddy at eight won't necessarily fix that, because those weren't the batters who failed you in the first Test. You scored 830 runs. You didn't score 380 in two innings — it was 830-plus. That's a lot of runs.
"So, where you needed strengthening was in the wicket-taking department, not so much in the batting."
Former India head coach Ravi Shastri expressed disbelief at India's decision to rest a fully fit Jasprit Bumrah from the second Test against England, asserting that the pace spearhead should not have been given the option to sit out of a crucial game. India, enduring a rough patch in Test cricket since October last year, have managed just one win in their last nine matches, marking their worst run in over a decade. Shubman Gill and his men lost the opening Test against England by five wickets in Leeds.
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First Post
32 minutes ago
- First Post
Gukesh responds to Carlsen's 'weaker players' jibe with 49-move victory, moves into sole lead in Croatia
D Gukesh emerged triumphant for the second time in as many meetings against Magnus Carlsen defeating the world No 1 while playing with black pieces after his victory over Fabiano Caruana to move to the top of the SuperUnited Rapid and Blitz Croatia standings. read more D Gukesh defeated Magnus Carlsen convincingly on Day 2 of SuperUnited Rapid and Blitz Croatia to move to the top of the standings. Image credit: Lennart Ootes/Grand Chess Tour Despite suffering a stunning defeat against D Gukesh at the Norway Chess last month, Magnus Carlsen sought to play down the threat from the Classical world champion at the SuperUnited Rapid and Blitz Croatia by describing the Indian Grandmaster as one of the 'presumably weaker players'. On Thursday, his explosive comments in an interaction with Grand Chess Tour came back to bite him as he lost to the 19-year-old Indian for the second time in as many meetings on the second day of the event in Zagreb. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Only this time, the Norwegian chess icon did not grab headlines by throwing a fit after the defeat the way he did in Stavanger by slamming his fist on the table in anger after his sixth-round defeat against the Indian. It turned out to be quite the memorable day in the Croatian capital for Gukesh, who was in the joint-lead at the end of the first day along with Carlsen, Jan-Krzysztof Duda and Wesley So. The Chennai lad, after all, defeated Fabiano Caruana with white pieces before triumphing over Carlsen while playing as black. The consecutive victories on Thursday thus helped Gukesh move to the top of the standings in what is a tough 10-player field featuring some of the biggest names in the world of chess. Gukesh D continued his sensational run in Zagreb, defeating Magnus Carlsen in Round 6 to score his fifth consecutive win and take sole lead with 10 points after the second day of rapid. Jan-Krzysztof Duda drew his game against Wesley So and now sits in second place with 8 points.… — Grand Chess Tour (@GrandChessTour) July 3, 2025 STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Carlsen and Caruana had finished first and second respectively in the latest edition of Norway Chess, the former successfully defending his title and lifting the trophy for a record-extending seventh time. Gukesh capitalises on Carlsen's blunder, forces a resignation in 49 moves Gukesh was on the charge from the word go after Carlsen opted for an English opening, advancing his dark-squared bishop in just his second move and capturing his opponent's knight in the third, and getting his other bishop and both knights on the charge by move 10. Carlsen, who had defeated Gukesh in both of their meetings in the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour earlier this year as well as in the opening round of Norway Chess, began ceding ground with a questionable 30th move (Bxb5), which led to some quick exchanges. He was then pushed to the backfoot by a rook blunder in his 35th move (Rc5), which Gukesh quickly capitalised on. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In the end, Gukesh managed to corner Carlsen's king with his queen as well as a rook and a bishop, forcing his opponent to resign in 49 moves and moving into the sole lead after six Rapid rounds across two days. And unlike their sixth-round meeting in Norway, Carlsen was never in a dominant position at any stage of their game in Croatia. On the contrary, the game turned on its head in the blink of an eye after Carlsen's blunder and Gukesh, who had sealed his World Championship triumph against Ding Liren in a similar manner, wasn't one to let victory slip out of his grasp.
India Gazette
2 hours ago
- India Gazette
"Did not feel he would get out....": Jadeja on captain Gill's marathon at Birmingham
Birmingham [UK], July 4 (ANI): Following his side's fine day at field on day two of the Test, Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja hailed skipper Shubman Gill's historic double ton, saying that it did not look like he was going to get dismissed and the 'extra responsibility' of captaincy does not show in his batting. Gill produced a masterclass for ages, with his 387-ball 269 propelling India to 587 before three early wickets left England tottering at 25/3, and the hosts ended their day at 77/3, with Joe Root (18*) and Harry Brook (30*) on the crease. After India was 211/5 on day one, Gill's 203-run stand with Jadeja (89 in 107 balls, with 10 fours and a six) and 144-run stand with Washington Sundar (42 in 103 balls, with three fours and a six). Speaking during the post-day presser, Jadeja said about Gill's knock, 'Honestly, he looks very confident. He does not look like a captain in batting. He has been given an extra responsibility. He is carrying everything with him. I do not feel anything like that in his batting. Even today, unluckily, the ball went in his (fielder's) hand. But today, I did not feel that he would be out in this inning. He played very well. When we were batting together, we were talking about partnership. That we will have a long partnership, and we will keep talking to each other.' Speaking about his conversations with 13-year-old Kuldeep Yadav, Jadeja said that it is about the balance of the team and if Kuldeep gets a chance, he will prove to be a 'wicket-taking option'. 'The team needs balance. You will get a chance. But when we go out, we do not talk about cricket. We talk about something else. You should not think about things that are not in the player's control. When you get a chance to perform, it will be for the team's benefit,' he added. On the presence of spin on this wicket so far, Jadeja noted that the surface has not assisted them much, and the spinner's role is to keep the right field and bowl in the right areas to create problems for a batter. 'Even now, I will say that there is nothing in front of me. I haven't seen a single ball spin in two days. As the game progresses, I hope that the spinner gets more help from such wickets. As the game progresses, the pressure of the scoreboard will also remain in the batsman's mind,' he concluded. (ANI)
India Gazette
2 hours ago
- India Gazette
England spin bowling coach hails Gill for
Birmingham [UK], July 4 (ANI): Following a hard day in the field, England spin bowling coach Jeetan Patel hailed Indian skipper Shubman Gill for his 'masterclass' double ton, saying that it left bowlers and fielders tired. Gill produced a knock for ages, breaking several records with a 387-ball 269 on day two at Birmingham on Thursday. Speaking about the knock in the post-day presser, Jeetan said, 'He has put on a proper masterclass in how to bat on a good wicket. But the guys threw everything at him, and rightly so, very tired after their efforts.' 'But I think to take 10 wickets on that, for us anyway, has been fantastic. And they have shown that it seems like a little bit of a new ball wicket where it can do a little bit to start. No one really knows how the older ball can react in days from now,' added Jeetan while appreciating India's bowling and praising his bowlers too. Jeetan also lauded Team India bowlers for using the new ball well, especially after staying away from bowling duties for a day and a half. 'I think we did the same yesterday (using the new ball well), it just did not go our way, I suppose. And it may have been a little bit different if we did get those opportunities (missed reviews and chances), but that was yesterday, and today's today. So there is obviously another day tomorrow where we will come in, hopefully, as shown so far, the older ball has got softer, and it hasn't done as much, and been harder to get the ball to go sideways,' he added. At the end of the day's play, England was 77/3, with Joe Root (18*) and Harry Brook (30*) unbeaten. England openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett came to the crease with a task to overcome a massive deficit of 587 runs set by India in the first innings. Crawley put out a statement of his positive intent with two boundaries against Akash Deep in the first over. However, the seamer got the last laugh against the batters, removing both Duckett and Ollie Pope for ducks on two successive balls in the third over, reducing England to 13/2. Joe Root joined Crawley; however, the partnership did not last too long as Mohammed Siraj's short of length outside off delivery went straight into Karun Nair's hands at slips. Crawley walked back for a 30-ball 19, reducing England to 25/3. Root and Brook guided England through the remainder of the session without any wickets lost, forming an unbeaten fifty-run stand. At Tea, India was 564/7, with Gill (265*) and Akash Deep (0*) unbeaten. India kickstarted the second session at 419/6, with Gill (168*) joined by Washington Sundar (1*). Washington and Gill moved cautiously for the first few overs, before Gill let his hands loose against Shoaib Bashir's spin and Josh Tongue's pace, fetching himself two fours and a six within a matter of eight deliveries. Gill's boundary towards deep backwards square leg brought up 450 runs for India in 117.3 overs. Gill was stuck on 199 as Washington Sundar collected a four and six against Tongue in the 120th over. Finally, with a single off Tongue's delivery on the first ball of the 122nd over, Gill reached his maiden double ton in Test cricket, bringing down an array of records and becoming only the third Indian after Sunil Gavaskar and Rahul Dravid to do so. After reaching the milestone, Gill got even more free-flowing, unleashing a brilliant reverse sweep and a beautiful glide against Bashir for two successive fours and smashing Harry Brook's part-time medium pace for a hat-trick of boundaries, including two beautiful drives straight down the ground. With these, Gill overtook Sunil Gavaskar to register the highest-ever score by an Indian in England. A cut against Brydon Carse helped India reach the 500-run mark in 127.1 overs. Boundaries just kept flowing as Gill-Sundar reached the century stand for the seventh wicket in just 136 balls. Gill reached the 250-run mark with a four against Harry Brook, in 348 balls, with 29 fours and three sixes. Joe Root's part-time spin delivered the magic for England, as he uprooted Washington's stumps for 42 in 103 balls, with three fours and a six, ending an incredible 144-run partnership. India was 558/7 in 138.4 overs. Akash Deep and Gill made sure India did not lose another wicket. At the end of a largely India-dominant first session, India was 419/6, with Gill (168*) joined by Washington Sundar (1*). India started the first session at 310/5, with Gill (114*) and Jadeja (41*) unbeaten. On the very first ball of the inning, Gill collected an easy single to bring up a century stand in 143 balls. There was no changing this duo's positive intent and searching for runs, as Jadeja got two boundaries against Chris Woakes in the 87th over. With a single off Woakes' delivery, Jadeja completed his 23rd half-century in Test and seventh against England. It came in 80 balls, with six fours. He continued his attacking game, cutting and punching against skipper Ben Stokes' pace. India reached the 350-run mark after a single in 94.5 overs. In the 96th over, it was Gill's time to attack, slicing and driving Brydon Carse as the runs continued to leak, piling up England's worries. The 150-run stand came up between Jadeja and Gill before the drinks as India continued to strangulate English bowlers. Gill continued to produce some exquisite shots, reaching his first-ever 150 in Tests in 263 balls, with 17 fours. It was the second 150-plus score by an Indian captain in England after Mohammad Azharuddin's 179 at Old Trafford in 1990. As the innings crossed 100 overs and India marched towards the 400-run mark, a highlight was a smooth reverse sweep played by the Indian skipper against Shoaib Bashir through the vacant backwards point region in the 103rd over. In the 106th over by Bashir, Jadeja's six on the first ball helped India reach the 400-run mark, while the one on the last ball by the left-hander again helped Gill and him complete a double century partnership. England's toil and perseverance finally bore fruit, as a short-ball from Josh Tongue rattled Jadeja, who landed a catch to Jamie Smith, going back for 89 in 137 balls, with 10 fours and a six. India was 414/6 in 107.3 overs. Washington Sundar joined Gill to end the session without any further loss of wickets. Brief Scores: India: 587 (Shubman Gill 265, Ravindra Jadeja 89, Shoaib Bashir 3/167) against England: 77/3 (Harry Brook 30*, Joe Root 18*, Akash Deep 2/36). (ANI)
