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NDTV
an hour ago
- Sport
- NDTV
Ricky Ponting's Big Verdict On 'Out Of Character' Shubman Gill's Captaincy: "Like Virat Kohli..."
Batting legend Ricky Ponting said India skipper Shubman Gill's aggressive posturing during the Lord's Test against England was "a little out of character" but at the same time viewed it as a "captain standing up for his team". The closely-fought game saw plenty of drama on the field, including an animated flare-up between Gill and the England openers towards the end of the third day of the Test. India had managed to equal England's first innings total of 387, and wanted to squeeze in two overs in the remaining six minutes of play. However, that wasn't possible as the English openers took their time to get ready, and Gill exchanged words with Zak Crawley and then Ben Duckett. Former Australia captain Ponting understood why Gill's aggressive action at Lord's was met with surprise. "That was a little out of character from what I've known from Shubman in the past. I am sure everyone that was there watching it and I know you would know him quite well, that's not what he's generally like," Ponting told 'The ICC Review'. But Ponting also sympathised with Gill, saying it was a case of a young captain taking a stand for his team under the circumstances. "That's the captain standing up for his team, that's a captain really wanting to show that it's his team now and this is the way that we're going to play the game, and also, I guess, wanting to give a little bit back." India lost the Test by 22 runs to trail the series 1-2. The fifth and final Test begins here on Wednesday. Ponting felt that Gill acted in a manner similar to former captain Virat Kohli. "I think that's him starting to put his stamp on his team. And a lot like Virat (Kohli) did, similar ways like that. Rohit (Sharma) probably was never as outwardly aggressive, I guess, especially to opposition players. "I know he (Rohit) would quite often get aggressive with his teammates and try to bring the best out of them that way. But I love watching Shubman stand up for what he thought was right in the game last week." Ponting has played Tests in England across four separate tours, and twice as captain (2005 and 2009). He said that the pressures of such a high-profile tour could get to a skipper. "The UK can be a hard place to play. The crowds, as much as they love their game, can be as hostile a place to play as anywhere in the world. "The media there, when you're in a big series, when it's an Ashes series or when it's England and India, the media always feel like they're right on top of your back as well." (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
The Independent
2 hours ago
- Sport
- The Independent
The short-term England approach that can lift Ben Stokes over major hurdle at Old Trafford
Ben Stokes had spent some of Monday in the middle at Old Trafford, studying the pitch. He had no such option on Tuesday, the covers shielding it from the elements. The Mancunian weather accounted for his only draw as Test captain, against Australia in 2023. There may be the risk of a repeat, though even as the skies started to clear in the afternoon, the rain still came down. But Old Trafford draws have a different pertinence: this week has marked the 20th anniversary of the start of the 2005 Ashes. Australia held on in Manchester, nine wickets down in a thrilling finish, but England won the series 2-1. Twenty years on, in what is shaping up as another epic contest, England hold a 2-1 lead over India, in a series that has taken a twist with sledging defining the Lord's Test. Rain may be unwelcome, but it would hurt the tourists more. Stokes, whose side has been accused of 'breaching the spirit of cricket' after delay tactics in the third Test, is a man with a proven capacity to bowl through the pain barrier, knows something about suffering. He got through 44 overs to secure the 22-run win at Lord's, 24 of them in the last innings, spells of nine and 10 included. "I don't think enjoyment is the right word," he reflected. "I consistently felt threatening in those spells, hence why I kept on going." It was just as well he then had a few days off. 'I felt like I was in a long-distance relationship with my family because I hardly saw them [despite] being at home,' he said. 'I needed to lie down. I watched the whole series of Landman on Amazon; that's good. I watched 28 Days Later and followed up with 28 Weeks Later.' In 28 weeks' time, the Ashes will be over: following India's visit, back-to-back defining series have the potential to provide the lasting impression of Stokes' captaincy. It has brought entertainment in abundance and a flurry of victories, four of them against India. But his England are yet to overcome either India or Australia in a series; the World Test Championship may suggest otherwise, but they feel the superpowers. If it is all about the here and now, perhaps that explains why England's bowling attack are 29, 30, 34, 35 and 36. Stokes, the 34-year-old, may not have had a youth policy when pairing James Anderson and Stuart Broad. Now the old stagers are Chris Woakes and Liam Dawson. Woakes, whose returns can diminish when he plays four or five Tests in a series, has seven wickets at 56 in this. There was some thought he could be rested, rotated or dropped. 'Outside of the rewards that Woakesy hasn't got with the ball, he is a very important player for us,' said Stokes, unworried by unflattering returns of late, focusing on his Old Trafford past. 'Woakesy has got a very good record here.' Dawson's record in County Championship cricket stands in stark contrast to the injured Shoaib Bashir 's: the Somerset spinner averages 84 in the championship, whereas Dawson took 49 wickets and scored 840 runs last season. He could add more runs – he has more first-class hundreds than opener Zak Crawley – and, eight years after his last Test, is selected to be a plug-and-play solution. 'Getting recalled to the white-ball team, he showed he can come back in and get to work straight away,' Stokes said. 'We spoke briefly at nets yesterday about that. I said to Daws, 'you're a lot different so someone like Bash, where we were both learning on the job together'.' Dawson is a beneficiary of Brendon McCullum 's job-share, impressing the Test coach on his new one-day duties, leapfrogging Jack Leach to become the preferred left-arm spinner. 'Quality cricketer and very, very competitive,' said Stokes, arrowing in on the character of a player who is both newcomer and veteran. Injuries have the potential to reshape the series. India's bowling attack is more depleted with Akash Deep joining Nitesh Kumar Reddy in being ruled out, along with a plausible replacement, in Arshdeep Singh. Either Prasidh Krishna or the uncapped Anshul Kamboj will take the last berth for a seamer. India, having declared that Jasprit Bumrah will only play three Tests in the series, have decided that Old Trafford will be the third. The oddity is that England have won both in which the world's top-ranked bowler has appeared. But if short-termism is a theme of England's selection, it has to be for India, too: save Bumrah for The Oval and it could be too late. The better injury news for India is that Rishabh Pant is fit after the finger problem that prevented him from keeping wicket at Lord's. He averages 70 in the series, just above KL Rahul, with both Shubman Gill and Ravindra Jadeja over 100. If the statistics can underline the importance of Stokes the bowler for England, they can also invite questions as to how his side is leading. An answer can be found in England's ability to win key moments, which can be a Stokes specialism. 'The series has been great to play in and I presume it's been pretty good to watch,' said the England captain. It invites comparisons with one of the most celebrated summers in English cricket. 'The 2005 Ashes series was great to watch,' added Stokes. 'We've gone all five days in all three Tests so far. It just proves that the quality of cricket has been outstanding. Two teams going toe-to-toe and not very much separating us at the moment.' After Old Trafford, there could be nothing separating them, or England could have clinched their most prestigious series victory under Stokes. Or, if the Mancunian weather has its way, he may get something he almost abolished: a draw.
eNCA
2 hours ago
- Sport
- eNCA
Stokes ready to push through pain barrier against India
England captain Ben Stokes says he is ready to put his injury-ravaged body on the line again if it helps his side seal a Test series win over India. All-rounder Stokes took five wickets, scored 77 runs and ran out Rishabh Pant across two innings of relentless effort during a 22-run win over India in the third Test at Lord's. Victory gave England a 2-1 lead in a five-match series, with fast-medium paceman Stokes bowling 44 overs in total, including gruelling spells on the decisive final day. "I'm not going to lie, I cannot wait to just lie on my bed for four days," said Stokes after the match. The 34-year-old has suffered two severe hamstring injuries in the past 12 months but the skipper, speaking to reporters on the eve of the fourth Test at Old Trafford, said he was well-rested. "I felt like I was in a long-distance relationship with my family because I hardly saw them (despite) being at home. If the situation requires it again then I'll do what I need to do." The quality of cricket on show from both England and India has drawn comparison with England's celebrated 2005 Ashes triumph. "So far, the series has been great to play in and I presume it's been pretty good to watch," said Stokes. "The 2005 Ashes series was great to watch and I think we've gone all five days in all three Tests so far so it just proves that the quality of cricket has been outstanding. "Two teams going toe-to-toe and not very much separating us at the moment. It's been good to be a part of." England's Liam Dawson will be playing his first Test in eight years after the left-arm spinner was recalled following Shoaib Bashir's series-ending finger injury at Lord's. Dawson admitted last year that Test cricket was "completely off the radar" for him but, having returned to T20 international action against the West Indies in June, he is now poised to make just his fourth appearance in a Test match. "I've known Daws for a long time," said Stokes. "I know the cricketer he is, but what does go under the radar is his competitiveness." Stokes said the way Dawson had slotted back into England's white-ball set-up was an encouraging sign ahead of his Test return.
The Hindu
4 hours ago
- Sport
- The Hindu
Shubman Gill's aggression at Lord's a little out of character, but that's captain standing up: Ricky Ponting
Batting legend Ricky Ponting said India skipper Shubman Gill's aggressive posturing during the Lord's Test against England was 'a little out of character' but at the same time viewed it as a 'captain standing up for his team'. The closely fought game saw plenty of drama on the field, including an animated flare-up between Gill and the England openers towards the end of the third day of the Test. India had managed to equal England's first innings total of 387, and wanted to squeeze in two overs in the remaining six minutes of play. However, that wasn't possible as the English openers took their time to get ready, and Gill exchanged words with Zak Crawley and then Ben Duckett. Former Australia captain Ponting understood why Gill's aggressive action at Lord's was met with surprise. 'That was a little out of character from what I've known from Shubman in the past. I am sure everyone that was there watching it, and I know you would know him quite well, that's not what he's generally like,' Ponting told The ICC Review. But Ponting also sympathised with Gill, saying it was a case of a young captain taking a stand for his team under the circumstances. ALSO READ | Gill brings back 'spirit of the game' debate, saying England batters walked out late during Lord's Test 'That's the captain standing up for his team, that's a captain really wanting to show that it's his team now and this is the way that we're going to play the game, and also, I guess, wanting to give a little bit back,' he added. India lost the Test by 22 runs to trail the series 1-2. The fifth and final Test begins here on Wednesday. Ponting felt that Gill acted in a manner similar to former captain Virat Kohli. 'I think that's him starting to put his stamp on his team. And a lot like Virat (Kohli) did, similar ways like that. Rohit (Sharma) probably was never as outwardly aggressive, I guess, especially to opposition players. I know he (Rohit) would quite often get aggressive with his teammates and try to bring the best out of them that way. But I love watching Shubman stand up for what he thought was right in the game last week,' he said. Ponting has played Tests in England across four separate tours, and twice as captain (2005 and 2009). He said that the pressures of such a high-profile tour could get to a skipper. 'The UK can be a hard place to play. The crowds, as much as they love their game, can be as hostile a place to play as anywhere in the world. The media there, when you're in a big series, when it's an Ashes series or when it's England and India, the media always feel like they're right on top of your back as well,' Ponting said.
Telegraph
4 hours ago
- Sport
- Telegraph
Sophie Ecclestone: I considered quitting after Alex Hartley spat
Sophie Ecclestone has admitted she considered quitting cricket in the aftermath of the public spat involving Alex Hartley and the Ashes whitewash. In January, before the first T20 of the Women's Ashes, Ecclestone refused to be interviewed by her former team-mate Hartley, who later said on air she had been 'hung out to dry' by players who would not speak to her. In the wake of England's dismal T20 World Cup exit in October, Hartley said some members of the side were not up to the required fitness standards, and stood by her claims as the side performed badly throughout the 16-0 whitewash Down Under. 'It was a weird time,' Ecclestone told Sky Sports, speaking about the incident for the first time before taking the field for the final ODI of the series against India at Durham. 'I felt like I was taking my warm-up more seriously than doing interviews for a game. I feel like that went down [the] wrong way and a few things were said. I was just concentrating on cricket at that moment but a lot of things were being said which wasn't ideal.' Ecclestone disputed the claim that she refused to do the interview, saying: 'The word 'refuse' was being thrown around which wasn't really true.' Clare Connor, managing director of England Women's cricket, called it an 'unfortunate incident that won't happen again' during her press conference the morning after the series. When new head coach Charlotte Edwards and captain Nat Sciver-Brunt then took over from sacked coach Jon Lewis and captain Heather Knight, Ecclestone took a break from cricket before the white-ball series against India to prioritise her mental health. 'During the West Indies series, I wasn't actually sure if I was going to come back and play cricket,' she said. 'It was a tough time. [I] feel like I have come out of the other side now, back playing cricket with the girls. I [have] got a smile on my face again and I feel like I wouldn't have done it without the girls. 'It wasn't very nice but we are all over that now. There were a lot of feelings involved and [it's time] to move on,' she explained. After the Ashes whitewash, Ecclestone went to the Women's Premier League where she suffered a torn meniscus, and was left out of the white-ball series against West Indies. Ecclestone returned to the national side for the India series, coming straight back into the starting XI and playing every match of the series, including taking three for 27 at Lord's.
