Latest news with #Ghavri
The Hindu
24-05-2025
- Sport
- The Hindu
As Gill matures into India's Test captain, Ghavri has a word of caution
Lakhwinder Singh moved mountains to make his son a cricketer, but former India fast bowler Karsan Ghavri, too, played a significant role in shaping Shubman Gill's career. More than a decade ago, Ghavri was overseeing the BCCI pace bowlers' academy in Mohali. During a U-19 camp, he struggled to find young batters. Initially, they conducted drill sessions in an indoor facility, but after a week, Ghavri realised there were no batters available to face the pacers. He requested the Punjab Cricket Association for U-16, U-19, or U-23 batters to help. Gill was consumed by his love for the sport. When not training at the academy in Mohali, he would play tennis-ball cricket. 'Around this time, I remember it was raining one day and there was leakage in the indoor facility, so we had to stop our practice sessions. Assistant coach Yoginder Puri and I walked across the road to this huge ground, which hosts PCA's district games, and saw some kids playing in the rain. One young boy caught my attention because of his batting style, and that kid was Shubman,' Ghavri said. Moments later, Ghavri walked up to a gentleman, Lakhwinder Singh, sitting outside the boundary. 'I asked him whether he knew about this boy who was batting so well. To my surprise, he replied, ' Woh mera beta hai (he is my son).' I told him not to allow Shubman to play tennis-ball cricket and insisted on bringing him on board for our camp,' Ghavri recollected. Also read | Captaincy debut away from home — For India's new Test skipper, Shubman-Gill, England tour is baptism by fire 'Shubman was just 11 or 12, and I wanted him to face our U-19 fast bowlers. He came to our camp the next day, and over the next few days, he gelled so well with our group that he started training with our boys. Every day, he would bat for an hour. During the camp, the U-19 bowlers were given a fresh, new ball every day, and he faced some of the promising young bowlers, including Sandeep Sharma and Baltej Singh. He played them really well,' Ghavri said. Ghavri asked Sushil Kapoor, the academy's administrative manager at the time, to place Gill in the U-14 squad for Punjab. Gill's impressive performances there led to his inclusion in Punjab's age-group teams. It was largely because of Ghavri's efforts that PCA roped in Gill in its age-group teams and provided him with all the support en-route to his journey of becoming India's 37th Test captain. Back then, Ghavri, did not imagine that the young batter would eventually become India's Test captain, succeeding Rohit Sharma. But the former cricketer was certain about the young gun's incredible talent. So much so, that he was convinced Gill would emerge as the 'next superstar of Indian cricket if he remained grounded'. On Saturday, as the national selectors handed the big responsibility to Gill, Ghavri was happy, but also had a word of caution for the new captain. 'Leading a team in the Indian Premier League and captaining India are two different things. Being the captain of a very young team, the pressure will always be more on Shubman. But he should take this as an opportunity and prove himself as proper Test cricketer,' Ghavri told Sportstar. Despite the likes of Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul in its ranks, the batting unit is largely inexperienced. | Photo Credit: RAGU R/ The Hindu With Virat Kohli and Rohit moving on from Test cricket, Gill will have to fill the void, and that, by no means, will be easy. Though he has enjoyed success in Tests at home, an average of 25 in 28 innings in overseas Tests, does not quite speak highly. In fact, Gill could just score 88 runs in six innings in England, whereas his only century outside India came in Bangladesh in December 2022. So, there are obvious concerns. Ghavri believes that the selectors should have ideally picked Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara to add solidity to the batting unit. 'They (Rahane and Pujara) would have been effective because of their experience. Now, one has to see who has the temperament for Test cricket. The bowling unit is quite formidable, and maybe, we will be able to claim 20 wickets, but for that, we also need to put up at least 400 odd runs. Now, the question remains, who's going to do it?' Ghavri wondered. 'Shubman has the temperament, but it needs to be seen whether he can hang in there and score those runs. Most of these guys are very comfortable in T20 cricket, so it is not easy to switch formats. In such a crucial tour, Shubman, KL Rahul, (Yashasvi) Jaiswal and Sai Sudharsan need to step up and steady the batting order.' Having featured in 39 Test matches and claiming 109 wickets, Ghavri understands the challenges a touring team faces in England. Keeping that in mind, he expects Gill to not crumble under pressure and keep calm. 'It is a huge pressure and there's no denying it,' Ghavri said. 'But when he takes the field, he has to be a good leader - which he is - and bring the best out of the players. Apart from this, keeping everyone together will be the key.' Also read | India squad for England Test series 2025 'When Virat and Rohit were around, the youngsters had huge respect for them because both of them were legends. But in this team, nobody is a legend right now, and this tour of England will be a test of their character, and it will be interesting to see how they conduct themselves in tricky situation.' Despite the likes of Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul in its ranks, the batting unit is largely inexperienced and in English conditions, it would certainly not be easy to bat out for long. 'Gill ko lamba khelna hoga (Gill has to play long) and he will have to ensure that others score as well. It's a huge challenge. We have all seen him as a batter, and are aware of his capability, but his real test is now,' Ghavri added. But having seen Gill since his formative years, the former cricketer is hopeful that he would make the most of the opportunity. 'He has worked really hard to come so far, and now that there's a big chance, I'm sure he will give his best effort.'
Time of India
16-05-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
Ghavri, Ankola impressed with young talent in Bihar
The first day of the second phase of "Search for Bowlers" trials, organized by Bihar Cricket Association (BCA), was successfully conducted at Moin-ul-Haq Stadium in Patna on Friday under the watchful eyes of former cricketers Karsan Ghavri and Salil Ankola . Both took part in the selection process to assess the skills of budding talents from across the state. Out of more than 400 participants, a total of 76 bowlers were shortlisted on the day, including 65 male and 11 female bowlers. "These children have so much potential that they can progress significantly. It's not necessary that only 20 children have talent; the others also have good abilities and can advance. However, the game isn't the same as it used to be. It involves discipline, hard-work, and playing lots of matches. Every player needs to be a performer," Ghavri said on the sidelines of scouting event. "Many good players can be seen at the nets, but the true player is the one who performs well under pressure during a match. The initiative taken by BCA is a great step and it will be very beneficial in the future. The selected children will also ensure that you have fast bowlers and spinners in the pipeline, so you won't need to search elsewhere," added Ghavri, who has played 39 Tests. Former India selector Ankola also highlighted the advancement of scope and opportunity these days. "Talented bowlers need to work hard, and if they get a chance, it opens a path for them. It helps to understand how we grew up. In the late 1980s, we were like 18 or 19 years old, and there wasn't much available. We didn't know what to do. We used to chop wood and do things ourselves. We didn't realize how proper training was done," said Ankola. The final selection of players will take place during the concluding trial scheduled on Saturday. The final phase, which was originally scheduled to be held on May 11 and 12, was postponed for the safety of players, officials, and all stakeholders in the aftermath of the India-Pakistan conflict following the Pahalgam terror attack.
Hindustan Times
15-05-2025
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
To get best out of Bumrah, solid back-up crew needed
Mumbai: With the Indian team about to get a new captain for the England series, it will be interesting to see the approach the skipper, along with coach Gautam Gambhir, will want to adopt. Under Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, the team took to fielding five specialist bowlers as a draw was looked upon as a loss. But will the new captain want to fight Bazball with Bazball or will he make wickets his target? The key to winning a Test match is to take 20 wickets and the player holding the trump cards for India is Jasprit Bumrah. Looking at the conditions in England, the performance of the pace department will be crucial to the team's chances. India's hopes in the upcoming five-Test series will depend a lot on their tactical plan to get the best out of their pace ace. To make optimum use of Bumrah, managing his workload and providing him strong support with the right selection picks in the pace department will be important. Bumrah's back-up The pacer from Ahmedabad was brilliant in the last Test series Australia too, picking up 32 wickets, but he missed support from the other end. It led to him being overworked and ultimately breaking down. Hence, it's essential that the bowlers be able to hunt in a pack. It is how it was on the last tour to England when India tied the five-match series, 2-2. With Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj and Shardul Thakur, the captain could ensure the pressure was always on the England batters. India will need a repeat of that showing if they have to hold their own this time as well. Former India pacer Karsan Ghavri feels the pace unit will have extra work to do this time due to a weak batting unit. 'With no Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, who will hold the innings together? To win games a team has to get 400 plus scores, if there is a small total, there will be extra pressure on the bowlers,' said Ghavri, who shared the new ball with Kapil Dev in the four Tests in the 1979 series in England. The challenge against Ben Stokes' England is starkly different from Cummins' Australia as their Bazball brand of batting can take the match away from the opposition very quickly — all it takes is one good session of high scoring rate. India got a taste of that during the rescheduled fifth Test match at Edgbaston in 2022. Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow blew away India with their attacking batting in the second innings as England scored at 4.93 runs per over to score 378/3 in 76.4 overs. 'Looking at the Indian cricket team (batting), England will certainly give green top wickets, try and get our batters as soon as possible,' said Ghavri. India's best chance is to meet fire with fire. Due to the aggressive way, the current England batters approach the game, the best bet to stop them is to keep taking wickets. And this is why Ghavri advocates a four-pronged pace attack. 'We should go with four specialist pacers and one spin all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja,' said Ghavri. 'Four fast bowlers are required, to be effective they will need to be kept fresh by using them in short spells of five-six overs. 'Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna and Arshdeep Singh can support Bumrah,' added the former left-arm pacer who played 39 Tests for India. Ideally, the fourth pacer has to be an all-rounder, who chips in with a decent number of overs while also lending depth to the line-up. But Ghavri is not convinced if we have quality all-rounder options. Siraj finished with 20 wickets in the last Australia series but was inconsistent to be able to forge a successful partnership with Bumrah. Bumrah toiled hard from his end but the team was not able to build the desired pressure from both sides. India's think-tank, however, will be banking on Siraj being more effective in England. After returning from Australia, he has worked hard on his game. The results can be seen in his performances in the IPL. Though it is a different format, the selectors will be happy with his bowling rhythm and the way he is moving the ball. In helpful conditions in England, he should be incisive. He has the experience of bowling there. In six Tests he has 23 wickets, the highlight being an eight-wicket haul in 2021 in India's Lord's Test win, four wickets in each innings. Prasidh Krishna and Arshdeep Singh are yet to play in England, however Ghavri feels they have the skills to do well there. The two are in form, being among the top wicket-takers in the IPL. In the only Test he played in Australia, the fifth game at Sydney, Prasidh underlined his potential with a six-wicket match haul. 'Shami to me looks doubtful because there's a question mark over his fitness. Bumrah is in good form, Siraj is in good form. They need good support from Prasidh and Arshdeep.' So far Arshdeep is looked at as a white-ball specialist, but Ghavri says the left-arm pacer will be a good pick. 'In England, he could be very effective, has a good line length, has a good inswinger, outswinger, sharp bouncer and yorker.'
