Latest news with #Bazballing
The Hindu
08-08-2025
- Sport
- The Hindu
Is Washington Sundar now a vital cog in India's new Test machine?
The ball, clocking a shade under 140 kmph, was short. It was targeted at the body of the tall left-hander, and it rose towards his right shoulder. The batter moved a little towards his left, and swivelled. For a brief instant, both his feet were in the air, as he played a majestic hook. Up went the ball over the deep backward square-leg fence, and into the stands. A couple of spectators frantically searched for it under the seats, painted yellow, light blue and violet. The hook was perfect. A clean six. In the clutch It was played by a 21-year-old on his Test debut, at a most tense moment. It was played against the World No. 1 bowler. That was the shot of the year in cricket. It changed India's approach in the final Test against Australia at the Gabba. Instead of a draw, which itself would have been miraculous for a side that was so depleted it had to field a net bowler, India now began to eye victory on a ground where Australia hadn't lost for more than three decades. Rishabh Pant took India home. The young man who had hit Pat Cummins for the six that had class written all over it was already back in the dressing room. Washington Sundar had scored 62 in India's first innings and had also taken four wickets, including those of Steve Smith and David Warner, with his off-spin. A fabulous Test debut it undoubtedly was. But, in the four years following that iconic win in 2021, Washington was dropped for more Tests than he was picked. Going into the series in England this year, he had played only nine Tests. For a little over three years, his last Test innings was 96 not out. Imagine languishing in the wilderness after a knock like that. True, the selectors had to think about the team's balance and the availability of better spinners. But, he has never been just a spinner that could bat. And he should have played more Tests. He was telling the world as much with bat, and ball at times, during the past few memorable weeks in England. It was a series that will be remembered for unveiling a new young India. An India whose batting flourished despite the absence of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. An India whose bowling won two Tests without the services of the world's best bowler, Jasprit Bumrah. Washington has proved he can be a vital cog in the new machine. If it was Mohammed Siraj who delivered the final blow at The Oval, with that devastating yorker that shattered England's dream and Gus Atkinson's off-stump, it was Washington who played a pivotal role in setting up one of India's greatest Test wins. It was the left-hander's priceless 53 off 46 balls in the second innings, after coming in at No. 9, that ensured India would have just about enough to defend against Bazballing batters who always fancy their chances of chasing a big target. The manner in which he paced his innings, according to the match situation, was brilliant. When Prasidh Krishna joined him as the last man, he was on 17 off 23 balls, and had hit no sixes. Off the next 23, he made 36 and smashed four mighty sixes. Never back down In the previous Test at Old Trafford, he had battled for 206 balls for 101 not out to take India to safety in Ravindra Jadeja's company. An enduring image from that match — one of India's greatest draws in Tests, after being two down for none in the second innings — was the overeagerness of Ben Stokes to shake hands, but if the England captain had known how unfairly cricket had treated Washington, he might not have wanted to deny him that most deserved hundred. That innings showed yet again why Ravi Shastri, the coach when Washington made his Test debut, wanted him to bat up the order. Some four years ago, he wanted Tamil Nadu to make him bat in the top four. He certainly has the temperament and technique for that. W.V. Raman believes Washington is an option at No. 3 for India. 'And if you give him a string of opportunities, it will provide great flexibility to the side because India hasn't had a top-order batter since Virender Sehwag or Rohit Sharma who can bowl, and Washington is a proper bowler,' the former India opener told The Hindu over the phone from Chennai. 'He can be viewed as both a batting all-rounder and a bowling all-rounder.' Indeed. He is a genuine all-rounder. And we have seen how powerfully a proper all-rounder, somebody like Stokes, can influence a Test. 'We talk about the lack of all-rounders but when we have them, we don't slot them right or provide the right opportunities,' says Raman. 'What I admire about Washington is that he has made use of the sporadic opportunities that have come his way.' That has been the case for him at the IPL, too. Even after having a great start to his career in the league with Rising Pune Supergiant in 2017, when he took eight wickets from 11 games at an economy rate of 6.16. After that he turned out for Royal Challengers Bengaluru and then Sunrisers Hyderabad. This year, he played for Gujarat Titans, for whom he struck a 29-ball 49 on debut. One recalls him talking happily at the press conference about that knock and thanking the coach for sending him at No. 4. And his face lit up when asked about his bowling; he wasn't given the ball in the game. 'I love bowling,' he said, smiling. 'It is just about me being ready when the opportunity comes and picking up a few wickets.' He has done that in Test cricket as well. He took four for 22 in England's second innings at Lord's and 11 against New Zealand at Pune last October. 'He already has excellent drift and can get better, as spinners mature with age,' says D. Vasu, the former Tamil Nadu all-rounder and coach, who has worked with him in his development. 'When I first saw him as a kid, I was impressed with his skills as a batter and asked him to focus on bowling as well, as it wouldn't be easy to make it big purely as a batter. And he has always been willing to work hard.' True grit The work he has done at the MRF Pace Foundation in Chennai has helped him fine-tune his game against fast bowling on bouncy tracks. Apart from the technique, what stood out in that hook against Cummins was fearlessness. You also have to admire the way he has taken setbacks in his stride. It cannot be easy sitting on the bench on so many occasions when you know you should really be on the field. Now, they cannot drop him, can they?
India Today
04-08-2025
- Sport
- India Today
Did forced early Oval Test Day 4 stoppage cost India a chance to level series?
The stage was set for a thrilling finale to the Oval Test. On the one hand, you had England, who showed their Bazballing ways once again to deflate an Indian team and stand on the cusp of a monumental win. But wait, as we have seen many times during this series, India bounced back and how. The wicket of Jacob Bethell opened the door for India to make a comeback in the contest as they then dismissed the well-set Joe Root. India had their tails up as Mohammed Siraj, who bowled his heart out, rallied the crowd to create an electric atmosphere at the Oval. The Indian pacers were beating the England batters and it seemed like a wicket was imminent. And then, the umpires decided the light wasn't good enough. advertisementEngland took the option not to continue and the players made their way off the field. With the result close, everyone thought it was a small stoppage and players would be back. But then rain came in to force the covers to come on. After that, the umpires were seen going to the ground and having a chat with the ground staff and others before deciding to call the game off for Sunday. This caused large boos to ring out at the Oval as the fans had to head home and return on Monday for the finale. Interestingly enough, as soon as the play was called off, things started to ease up and the clouds made their way to some sunshine. This didn't sit well with Stuart Broad, who felt the umpires made a lazy call. 'Still 20 mins away from possible start time, everyone has their sunglasses on at the train station. Felt the supporters deserved to see a finish to that Test Match today. Felt a lazy decision to call it off at 6pm in my opinion. I wonder who makes it?' Broad posted on X, voicing frustration on behalf of Hussain also criticised the decision and said that they could have got another 40 minutes in on the day. 'Everyone in this ground has paid a lot of money and it has stopped raining — get on with the process. Get the super-sopper out there. There are around 40 minutes left, so try as hard as you can to get back out there,' Hussain said on Sky Sports before the official announcement was India bowling coach Morne Morkel took a neutral view on the matter, this early stoppage may have given England the advantage heading into Day 5. The visitors may have lost their chance to secure a win and level the series. England get a breatherIf we are real here for a moment, the last hour of play showed that India were well on top of the contest. There were two new batters at the crease and both of them were struggling to find a rhythm that Brook and Root had during their partnership. advertisementOnce the Indian bowlers got a peek in, they made full use of the chance as Siraj and Prasidh were bowling their hearts out with the crowd behind them. England were a bit rattled with the injured Chris Woakes wearing the whites to be ready in case of a disaster. If another wicket fell, then India could have pressed for the win and got the job done on Sunday. Hence England were given the chance to rest a bit, refocus and come out with attacking intent on their mind. And they will be aided by one piece of equipment as well. The roller advantageWe had written about this earlier, explaining how the heavy roller set to be used will help England. The English captain Ollie Pope will have the choice of which roller to use and Root hinted that the heavy one will make its way to the pitch before the game starts. This will ensure that the cracks will get smoothened and a flat deck will be on offer. The heavy roller was used in the morning on Day 4 and the England batters made merry as India struggled till the evening to take control of things with the ball. advertisementEngland just need 35 runs and probably an hour or so to chase it down. In that case, the flat deck will come to their aid and India may find themselves short. Either way, the early stoppage has put an end to the momentum India gained on Day 4, and it will take time for them to gain it back. Time is something that is not on their hands as the series seem to be slipping away. - EndsTune InMust Watch
India Today
20-07-2025
- Sport
- India Today
Workload management is a new thing: Harbhajan ahead of crucial Manchester Test
Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh believes that the term "workload management" is perhaps overused in international cricket. Speaking ahead of the 4th Test match at Manchester, the off-spinner said that 'workload management' is a new thing in world cricket and has happened due to the popularisation of T20 cricket.A trending term in world cricket since Covid-19, several teams now carry different units for different tours due to player fatigue. With cricket being played all around the year, international teams now find time and space to put their top players on leave to keep them fresh for longer periods of India's case, fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah is expected to play only 3 out of the 5 Test matches against England, keeping in mind the injury he faced in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024–25. Harbhajan reacted to Bumrah's workload and said that the fast bowler's request for lower playing time should be respected because he is one of the most honest cricketers out there."See, workload management is a new thing. Once IPL came, people said that I will bowl 24 balls in a match and they will be absolutely spot on, and that is how people trained. If you go back in the past? What was workload? Workload was fitness. Players played 5-match series in the past as well. But yes, if someone is concerned about the injury, then you need to be careful," Harbhajan Singh said."But see, Jasprit is the most honest cricketer out there. If he is not in pain, he will not only bowl a 4-over spell, he will bowl a 10-over spell for you. He did that in Australia as well. He bowled so much there that he got injured. His action contributes to that well. His run-up is short, and you have to bowl at high speed, so the finishing of his action puts a lot of stress on the body. If his body is well, make him play 5 Tests. If he plays 5 Tests, India will win the series. Ask any opposition, they will say that they do not prefer facing Bumrah," he Should PlayThe former spinner further commented on the Indian team and stated that Kuldeep Yadav must be included in the playing line-up in Manchester. Harbhajan argued that Kuldeep's ability to bowl with incredible variety will work well against the Bazballing English believed that it should be Nitish Kumar Reddy who should make way for the spinner."Kuldeep should be playing. The brand of cricket England like to play, they will not be able to do that against Kuldeep. He could be your mystery bowler against them. You have to reduce one batter from the team. If it was left to me, I would drop Nitish Reddy and bring in Kuldeep," Harbhajan spinner also suggested a tweak in India's batting line-up, stating that Sai Sudharsan should be given an extended run with the Indian team. He argued that not playing Sudharsan would fail the purpose of giving him a chance at No.3 in place of Karun Nair in the opening Test match of the series."I would have stuck with Sai Sudharsan. I would not have thrown him out after just one game. You gave him a chance at No.3 ahead of Karun Nair, and you should have stuck with him for at least three matches. He is a phenomenal talent and should get the backing of the team management. You played him over Karun, then you dropped him. Now there is an air that you want to drop Karun also from the next game, this simply ruins the flow, doesn't it?" he concluded.- EndsTune In
Indian Express
11-07-2025
- Sport
- Indian Express
Ollie Pope on why England slowed down at Lord's: ‘Would've been really hard work trying to play (Bazball) on that pitch'
There were a couple of jibes thrown at the England batters during the tussle of Day 1 of the Lord's Test. 'Where's the Bazball?,' asked Mohammed Siraj with a smile more than once, with India captain Shubman Gill too joining in at another occasion. For all the talk of England's Bazballing ways, the first day of the third Test saw them slow down the pace of the game. Or at least their scoring, reaching 251/4 at the end of play. Explaining their decision to bat slow and set aside Bazball for the day, Ollie Pope, who had batted for 104 balls for his 44 runs before Ravindra Jadeja sent him home, said the team realized they needed to read the situation as well. 'It was the traditional… pretty slow pitch. It wasn't a pitch you never really felt in on. I think obviously ending the day 251-4 is pretty good. It's slightly different to how we normally go about putting together innings, but we'll take it and hopefully we can kick on tomorrow,' Pope said on BBC Test Match Special before talking about himself. 'I'm not going to say I ever felt in my best rhythm. It is slightly different, but for me I think it's important to make sure I'm not too one-dimensional. I obviously managed to face 100-odd balls. I did feel pretty good, obviously I made a pretty annoying error after Tea. It's a shame not to be with Joe (Root) batting at the end of the day, but there's positives I can take.' Asked if, in this game, England had given an indication that they can adapt too, rather than sticking to their take-no-prisoners, six-runs-an-over Bazballing style, Pope said: 'It would have been really hard work trying to play that kind of game on that pitch today. It was spoken about after the Headingley victory and we do want to be a team that is positive, is entertaining, but we want to read situations as well. I guess that's what we've tried to do today and fingers crossed it rewards us over the next few days.' Asked if this kind of change in their batting philosophy was something England would not have done last year or the year before, Pope said: 'I guess so. Obviously our orders are 'pretty far scoring on your good days' as it is. I think individually that's something that everyone wants to keep getting better at. We all know we can score those hundreds of 120 balls, but when we need to dig in, I think everyone's aware that there's definitely still a place in Test cricket on the surface for that as well.'
India Today
10-07-2025
- Sport
- India Today
I want to see Bazball: Mohammed Siraj sledges cautious Joe Root in Lord's Test
Mohammed Siraj was back to his chirpy best during the Lord's Test as he decided to sledge a cautious Joe Root on Day one. The incident occurred right during an interesting phase after the lunch break when Jasprit Bumrah and Siraj applied immense pressure on Root and Ollie going into lunch at 85 for two, England came out to bat hoping to get some quick runs with their Bazballing ways. However, the Indian bowlers and fielders were on the money as the hosts were offered no easy runs. There was a period of 28 balls where England didn't even score a single run and kept finding the vs IND 3rd Test Day 1 Updates The incident between Root and Siraj occurred during the 31st over when the England batter was forced to play a hurried shot as he wanted to break the shackles. But the ball just went past his outside edge because of the bounce and Indian pacer decided to mock urged Root to play Bazball as he wanted to see it.'Baz, Baz, Bazball. Now Play Bazball. I want to see,' said Siraj, mocking Joe can see the full video below:Siraj on the wind up Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) July 10, 2025Lord's Test Day one so farDay one has so far been an even contest between as India were asked to field by England after winning the toss. The first hour saw the India pacers, led by Jasprit Bumrah, challenge the England openers Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley and didn't allow them to get off to a after the drink's break at the one hour mark, it was Nitish Kumar Reddy who broke the game open for India. He picked up the wickets of Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley in the same over, where Shubman Gill dropped a catch to give Ollie Pope a lifeline when he was batting at zero.- EndsMust Watch
