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Hindustan Times
29-05-2025
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
'He's close to 6'4, will get decent bounce': Ponting tells Gambhir to roll the dice on debutant for 1st Test vs England
Ajit Agarkar, BCCI's chief selector, announced Team India's squad for the next month's Test tour of England last week, which saw a few fresh faces. One of them was Arshdeep Singh, who has been a regular for India in the white-ball formats; the left-arm pacer has been a mainstay in the side's T20I setup since 2022, and also made his place in the ODI lineup last year. Following his impressive performances in both, home and overseas conditions, Arshdeep has won the team management's faith for a call-up in the longest format. In Arshdeep, India have a sole left-arm pacer in the attack which features the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, and Akash Deep, with Shardul Thakur also being picked. However, according to Ricky Ponting – who also works with Arshdeep as Punjab Kings' head coach – Arshdeep should be given the nod for a spot in the playing XI in the very first Test of the series, which starts June 20. 'I would actually have him in their Test team at the start. He's very skilful,' Ponting told The ICC Review. 'I think the Dukes ball will help him in the UK as well. And I just think to have that point of difference, having a left-armer in your team, I think will be something that, if India don't do it, then it'll be a bit of a surprise to me.' Arshdeep played for Kent in the County Championships in 2023, and Ponting stated that the experience will help the left-armer. 'He's played county cricket and he knows the conditions there as well,' Ponting noted. 'Arshdeep is close to six-foot-four, so he's going to get decent we know in England the ball still swings when it is 30, 40 or 50 overs old. 'To have someone that's got that swing bowling ability and a left-armer I think is something that the Indian team should definitely look out for on that tour.' Ponting also revealed that the first act during the team meeting following the India squad selection was to applaud Arshdeep for his selection. 'As soon as the squad was announced the other day, the Test squad, the first thing I did in our team meeting was to make sure that I acknowledged that Arshdeep had been picked in front of everybody and just congratulated him in front of everybody. 'I think it's well deserved. I think he'll bowl well in England as well,' said Ponting.
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First Post
25-05-2025
- Sport
- First Post
'Like Unadkat, Karun...': Sunil Gavaskar gives advice to Sarfaraz Khan after Test exclusion
The BCCI has announced India's Test squad for the England series, with Shubman Gill as captain and Rishabh Pant as vice-captain. Notably, Sarfaraz Khan and Shreyas Iyer were left out despite being part of the plans in the previous cycle. This has prompted Sunil Gavaskar to share advice for Sarfaraz's future. read more The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Saturday announced the Indian squad for their five-match Test series against England. The news marked the beginning of a new era in Indian Test cricket with Shubman Gill as captain and Rishabh Pant as his deputy. This comes after senior players Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli retired from Test cricket. But while fans are excited to see fresh faces in charge, many were left surprised after the squad was revealed. Some big names were missing, including that of Mohammed Shami. Meanwhile, Shreyas Iyer and Sarfaraz Khan were also left out from the squad even though many expected them to be included. Both these players were part of the Test plans in the previous World Test Championship cycle. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Gavaskar's advice to Sarfaraz Legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar spoke about Sarfaraz's situation in an interview with India Today. He encouraged the 27-year-old to stay patient and keep working hard. Gavaskar pointed to players like Jaydev Unadkat and Karun Nair, who were also dropped early in their careers but made comebacks by doing well in domestic cricket. 'Even Jaydev played his first Test at a very young age, and then it took 13 years or so to play another Test. He persevered, he went on picking wickets in domestic cricket. Like Unadkat, Karun has kept on scoring big hundreds. That's why the selection committee had to bring him back. A man in form is one of your best bets. He is scoring runs, he also got the experience of County Championships. A very good call to bring him back to Indian cricket,' Gavaskar. 'It's tough, that's what cricket is all about. When you get opportunities, you have to make sure the place is yours. Even if you score a hundred, you should make sure that you don't go into your next innings thinking you scored a hundred in the previous knock. You have to get your eye in and get those runs again. You must not give anybody a chance to push you out of the team,' he added. Karun Nair last played a Test match eight years ago. He was included in the Indian Test side after solid performances in domestic cricket. Meanwhile, Sarfaraz recently made headlines for his amazing fitness transformation. He lost 10 kgs after he completely changed his diet. Despite all this hard work he missed out on the Test selection.
Hindustan Times
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Sunil Gavaskar sends ‘Karun Nair' message to snubbed Sarfaraz Khan: ‘That's why the selectors had to bring him back'
A new generation took over the mantle for Indian cricket on Saturday, with the BCCI appointed Shubman Gill as Test captain ahead of the upcoming five-match Test series in England. The decision comes following Rohit Sharma's Test retirement, and Virat Kohli followed suit recently. Rishabh Pant has also been named as vice-captain for the Test team. There were some big omissions too, especially the absence of Shreyas Iyer, Mohammed Shami and Sarfaraz Khan. Speaking to India Today, legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar had some advice for Sarfaraz, and urged him to take inspiration from the likes of Jaydev Unadkat and Karun Nair. Nair was included in the India squad after sensational domestic performances, and last appeared for India in 2017. 'Even Jaydev played his first Test at a very young age, and then it took 13 years or so to play another Test. He persevered, he went on picking wickets in domestic cricket. Like Unadkat, Karun has kept on scoring big hundreds. That's why the selection committee had to bring him back. A man in form is one of your best bets. He is scoring runs, he also got the experience of County Championships,' he said. 'A very good call to bring him back to Indian cricket.' Urging Sarfaraz to cement his spot, Gavaskar continued, 'It's tough, that's what cricket is all about. When you get opportunities, you have to make sure the place is yours. Even if you score a hundred, you should make sure that you don't go into your next innings thinking you scored a hundred in the previous knock. You have to get your eye in and get those runs again. You must not give anybody a chance to push you out of the team.' 'It's entirely up to you to ensure you cement that spot. You need to keep knocking on the doors and break the doors down.' 'I think it's a tough call because after the tour of Australia, there was no red-ball cricket. Yes, there was the Ranji Trophy, but he was injured. So, he didn't play. There was no way he could show what his form was.' 'You have to be undropabble. We have seen in the past, if a team loses a series, the guys who are 13th, 14th, 15th in the squad get dropped. You have to take your chances,' he added. Sarfaraz got twin half-centuries in his debut Test, and surged to 150 in Bengaluru as India battled a huge deficit. He averages 37.10 in six Tests, and didn't feature in Australia at all. Defending the selection decision, chief selector Ajit Agarkar revealed that it was a team management decision, hinting that it was made by Gautam Gambhir and his staff.
Hindustan Times
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Cheteshwar Pujara's name floated as stopgap after Rohit, Kohli's Test exits but BCCI 'in no mood to look back': Report
In the lead-up to India's first Test squad announcement of the 2025–27 World Test Championship cycle, there has been murmured curiosity around whether Cheteshwar Pujara could earn a return. With both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli having retired from the format earlier this month, a vacuum has opened in the top order. But according to a Cricbuzz report, the selectors are 'in no mood to look back,' a firm indication that Pujara's time in the Indian Test setup may be firmly behind him. At 37, Pujara still remains active in the domestic grind, a fact that lends some weight to the outside noise. He had a decent run with Saurashtra in the Ranji Trophy last season, notching up a century and a double-hundred. Pujara is also among the regulars in County Championships, last representing Sussex in May 2024. Yet, despite an impressive record in the Indian whites (7,195 runs in 103 matches), the right-hander didn't feature in any game during the 2023–25 WTC cycle. His last appearance came in the final of the previous edition. The silence from the selectors might be louder than words. As Cricbuzz reported, while there has been 'some chatter' about revisiting Pujara given the lack of senior batters, the overall impression from the team management is that they're focused on the future. It has also been reported that Sai Sudharsan may get a maiden Test call-up, with Karun Nair also expected to make a return following an extraordinary domestic season with Vidarbha. India's squad for the five-match Test series in England, starting June 20, will be named on Saturday in Mumbai, followed by a press conference. The tour, featuring games at Headingley, Edgbaston, Lord's, Old Trafford, and The Oval, marks India's first bilateral assignment post the retirements of Kohli and Rohit. In preparation, India 'A' will face England Lions in three matches starting May 30 in Canterbury. Abhimanyu Easwaran will captain the side, with Dhruv Jurel as his deputy. Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan will join the squad ahead of the second match.
Hindustan Times
17-05-2025
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Virat Kohli draws interest for stint in England despite Test retirement: 'We are interested in having that conversation'
Even as he continues to draw crowds in the Indian Premier League for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, there's now a possibility Virat Kohli could return to England later this year; not in India colours, but in whites for Middlesex at Lord's. Days after Kohli shocked the cricketing world by announcing his retirement from Test cricket, Middlesex director of cricket Alan Coleman has confirmed the club's interest in luring the Indian maestro for a potential red-ball stint at the Home of Cricket. "Virat Kohli is the most iconic player of his generation, so of course we are interested in having that conversation," Coleman told The Guardian. Kohli, 36, retired from Test cricket over a month before India's five-Test series in England, starting on June 20 at Headingley. He ended a red-ball career that spanned 123 matches and yielded 9230 runs. His retirement post, though, made no mention of stepping away from first-class cricket altogether, leaving the door open for a potential county stint. As per the report, the move is being discussed in collaboration with MCC, which has previously helped Middlesex sign marquee overseas names like AB de Villiers and Kane Williamson. The idea of a Kohli-Williamson middle-order tandem is already being imagined as a dream scenario for the county's late-season run. The BCCI does not allow contracted players to participate in overseas T20 leagues, ruling Kohli out of the Blast and the Hundred, but a county championship stint remains possible. Many Indian players in recent past, including Cheteshwar Pujara, have played in the County Championships. Middlesex, chasing promotion from Division Two, will return to Lord's in September for red-ball matches against Derbyshire and Gloucestershire, with an away fixture against Lancashire also on the cards. If they manage to bring Kohli on board, the match could set up a duel between Kohli and James Anderson again. Kohli's final days in Test cricket had been a mix of flashes and frustration. Though he smashed a majestic hundred against Australia in Perth in the opening Test of his last series in red-ball format, it proved a lone bright spot in an otherwise lean patch – 190 runs in 10 innings that saw the once-dominant batter struggle, failing consistently against deliveries outside the off stump. Still, Kohli departs the format as one of its most influential figures, not just for India but across the sport.
