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Hindustan Times
6 days ago
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Siraj pushes his limit to lead India's fightback
Mumbai: Even in a lengthy series, you can single out moments of inspiration that can prove defining. Mohammed Siraj's unrelenting spell of eight overs before tea on Day 2 at The Oval could prove to be one. The onus is on India as a collective to back up his brilliance. Mohammed Siraj celebrates after taking the wicket of England's Jacob Bethell. (PTI) It was immediately after India had lost the Lord's Test narrowly that Siraj doffed his hat to Ben Stokes for bowling tireless marathon spells. 'If you can learn from someone, there's no shame,' he said. No shame, indeed. Just like his English pace counterpart, the Hyderabad fast bowler strained every sinew and kept running in to keep India in the Test after their batters had folded up for 224 in the first innings. His spell could well prove the spark for an Indian win to level the series 2-all. Fast bowlers have to bowl long spells from time to time. But think of the strain the present-day pacer has to endure in a five-Test series, stuffed in between a great deal of white-ball cricket. After Chris Woakes' freak injury ruled him from further participation at The Oval, Siraj is the only one among the pace pack from either side to play in all the Tests and still in action – 154 overs and counting. When Siraj came on to bowl mid-day, England openers had already played a powerful hand before lunch in 16 overs of mayhem, scoring at over run-a-ball. India's total had begun to look insufficient. While the sun showed up now and then, the pitch still had plenty of juice. India's pacers had to hit their lengths and stay patient. Siraj was among the bowlers who had gone for plenty with the new ball. He needed an early spark and the bowler created it on his own by getting one to nip back in sharply to Ollie Pope (22), trapping him lbw. Siraj stayed patient, not just with his lengths but lines too. He needed to be against Joe Root. There are days when Siraj likes to have a chirp with the batter. Not on Friday. He left it to Prasidh Krishna. All Siraj wanted was to channel his energies on breaking through Root's defence. He had done it before in the series targeting the stumps and on the final ball of the fifth over of his spell, summoned another one of his scrambled seam deliveries that rammed into Root's pads. The lbw decision was reviewed by Root, but DRS confirmed it. England were now four wickets down, but India still had plenty to do. They didn't have a fourth seamer to exploit the green pitch and Shubman Gill had no choice but to stick with Siraj. As if asking Siraj to invoke the spirit of Ishant Sharma's nine-over spell in the Perth Test of 2008, Gill kept throwing the ball to him for one more over. Siraj bowled his 6th, the 7th and then the 8th. While he worked hard, Siraj was able to pin the talented newcomer Jacob Bethell down with a toe crusher following up on a series of wobble seam balls. This time England wouldn't review. It was obvious that the ball would have dismantled Bethell's stumps. Each of Siraj's three wickets were arrowing in on the stumps and went into the scoresheet as leg before dismissals. After starting the day with a spell of 4-0-31-0, Siraj's second spell read 8-1-35-3. He may have bowled more productive spells before, but few where he was the last fast bowler standing in a punishing series played on batter-friendly decks, barring this one. The Oval Test has offered just rewards to the pacers, to try and overcome the pain barrier, bend their backs and make it count. Siraj did with his four-wicket haul, adding Harry Brook in the end. Siraj has taken on the mantle of leading the pace attack in Jasprit Bumrah's absence. Even in Australia where Bumrah was phenomenal, it was Siraj who bowled the most number of overs. Here, with an innings to come, he is already the series' highest wicket taker. So good has Siraj been with his skills and pluck that he would have won an admirer even from the opposing side in Stokes, the injured England skipper watching from the dressing room.
News18
24-05-2025
- Sport
- News18
Not Shubman Gill! Kiran More Wants This Star Wicketkeeper To Lead India In England
Last Updated: Kiran More has suggested KL Rahul as India's Test skipper against England, citing his experience. Former India wicketkeeper and BCCI selection committee chairman Kiran More has said that he would like to see fellow keeper-batter KL Rahul as India's captain in the upcoming five-match Test series against England, citing that the latter is more experienced to take on the responsibility. Though Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli's exit leaves a huge void, the likes of Rahul can provide much-needed experience in the batting department, and the latter has captained India previously. Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal are expected to open in the first Test starting in Leeds on June 20, and if he is awarded the captaincy, Rahul will make for a like-for-like replacement of Rohit. 'I would go with KL Rahul, he's an experienced campaigner. I don't want to put too much pressure on Shubman Gill. He hasn't done enough in Tests yet. He hasn't played much domestic cricket either, so there's a lot of learning still to do in the longer format," More said while speaking on Follow The Blues – Selectors Meet on JioHotstar. 'Let him (Gill) grow, maybe he can be vice-captain for a year or two. For now, KL Rahul is the right choice. He has the experience, temperament and communication skills needed to lead," More added. Gill is a clear favourite to land the high-profile job as India embarks on a new World Test Championship cycle after the retirement of stalwarts Kohli and Rohit in one week, the former coming as a bit of a shocker. With Rohit retiring, Jaiswal now needs a new opening partner, and all fingers point towards Rahul, who opened with the youngster in the Perth Test last year. More, though, thinks that the England tour can be an opportunity for the likes of Abhimanyu Easwaran and Sai Sudharsan to showcase their talent on the big stage. 'The England tour should be used to create opportunities for players like Easwaran, Sai Sudharsan and Ruturaj Gaikwad. You'll need three or four openers. Yashasvi Jaiswal has already proven himself," More said. 'With Shubman Gill around, you can have a solid left-right combination. Sai Sudharsan can also bat at No. 3. He's smart, composed and not flashy. The series won't be easy, so give these players a chance to grow," More added. Watch CNN-News18 here. Stay updated with all the latest news on IPL 2025, including the schedule, Points Table, IPL Orange Cap, and IPL Purple Cap. Get latest Cricket news, live score and match results on News18. Download the News18 App to stay updated! First Published: May 24, 2025, 11:07 IST
Hans India
17-05-2025
- Sport
- Hans India
Bumrah is an automatic captaincy choice: Jaffer
New Delhi: Amidst the debate over who should be appointed as India's new Test captain, former opener Wasim Jaffer said Shubman Gill should lead the Test team on the upcoming tour of England whenever 'automatic choice' Jasprit Bumrah needs rest. With Rohit Sharma announcing his retirement from Tests earlier this month, Gill has been widely seen as a front-runner to lead a new-look Indian Test team in the five-match series in England, starting on June 20 at Headingley. India hasn't won a Test series in England after the 2007 tour, where they won 1-0 under Rahul Dravid's leadership. 'I think Bumrah is an automatic captaincy choice, unless he doesn't want the responsibility. He should be the captain with Gill as VC - stepping in whenever Bumrah needs rest. This way Gill could also be groomed without the pressure of being the full time captain,' wrote Jaffer, who played 31 Tests for India, on his 'X' account on Friday. Apart from Gill, who is currently the captain of Gujarat Titans (GT) in IPL 2025 and Bumrah, KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant are also in the race to be India's next Test captain. Bumrah has captained India in three Tests, and was at the helm when they won the Perth Test in last year's Border-Gavaskar Trophy series in Australia. But his fitness issues mean Bumrah is not a certainty yet to play all five Tests on the tour of England. Bumrah suffered a back injury during the final Test of the Australia tour at the Sydney Cricket Ground and didn't bowl at all in the second innings. That back injury, which previously needed an operation in early 2023, also resulted in Bumrah missing India's victorious 2025 Champions Trophy campaign in Dubai. Rahul, meanwhile, led India in three Tests, including a 2-0 series win in Bangladesh in December 2022. India are also scheduled to play Tests against England in Edgbaston (July 2-6), Lord's (July 10-14), Old Trafford (July 23-27) and The Oval (July 31 to August 4).
NDTV
17-05-2025
- Sport
- NDTV
Jasprit Bumrah vs Shubman Gill: BCCI Sent Perfect Solution To Test Captaincy Debate
Amidst the debate over who should be appointed as India's new Test captain, former opener Wasim Jaffer said Shubman Gill should lead the Test team on the upcoming tour of England whenever 'automatic choice' Jasprit Bumrah needs rest. With Rohit Sharma announcing his retirement from Tests earlier this month, Gill has been widely seen as a front-runner to lead a new-look Indian Test team in the five-match series in England, starting on June 20 at Headingley. India hasn't won a Test series in England after the 2007 tour, where they won 1-0 under Rahul Dravid's leadership. 'I think Bumrah is an automatic captaincy choice, unless he doesn't want the responsibility. He should be the captain with Gill as VC - stepping in whenever Bumrah needs rest. This way Gill could also be groomed without the pressure of being the full-time captain,' wrote Jaffer, who played 31 Tests for India, on his 'X' account on Friday. I think Bumrah is an automatic captaincy choice, unless he doesn't want the responsibility. He should be the captain with Gill as VC - stepping in whenever Bumrah needs rest. This way Gill could also be groomed without the pressure of being the full time captain. #ENGvIND — Wasim Jaffer (@WasimJaffer14) May 16, 2025 Apart from Gill, who is currently the captain of Gujarat Titans (GT) in IPL 2025 and Bumrah, KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant are also in the race to be India's next Test captain. Bumrah has captained India in three Tests, and was at the helm when they won the Perth Test in last year's Border-Gavaskar Trophy series in Australia. But his fitness issues mean Bumrah is not a certainty yet to play all five Tests on the tour of England. Bumrah suffered a back injury during the final Test of the Australia tour at the Sydney Cricket Ground and didn't bowl at all in the second innings. That back injury, which previously needed an operation in early 2023, also resulted in Bumrah missing India's victorious 2025 Champions Trophy campaign in Dubai. Rahul, meanwhile, led India in three Tests, including a 2-0 series win in Bangladesh in December 2022. India are also scheduled to play Tests against England in Edgbaston (July 2-6), Lord's (July 10-14), Old Trafford (July 23-27) and The Oval (July 31 to August 4).
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First Post
15-05-2025
- Sport
- First Post
India squad for England Test tour LIVE Updates: Gambhir, selectors to reportedly pick captain today
India squad for England Test tour LIVE Updates: India coach Gautam Gambhir and BCCI selectors are required to pick a new captain. The meeting for the same can take place today in Mumbai. Follow our blog for all the latest news. read more India squad for England Test tour LIVE Updates: All eyes are on India head coach Gautam Gambhir and BCCI selectors as a crucial meeting is reportedly set to take place today in Mumbai to decide the new captain. We will bring you all the latest updates from this meeting and more on who can be a part of Indian cricket team's Test squad for England tour. It can be a big day in Indian cricket today as reportedly, head coach Gautam Gambhir is set to meet the BCCI selectors in Mumbai to decide the next captain. Who will it be, Shubman Gill or Jasprit Bumrah? Follow our blog for all the latest news. Some of the most trusted sources have picked Gill as the next possible captain of the Indian Test team, which is a surprise considering he only averages 35.05 in 32 Tests and England is a tough place to start captaincy. But Bumrah's injury issues, it seems, have gone against the pacer. 'The other choice is Bumrah. You say, 'Boss, you're the captain'. And whichever Test match he doesn't play, you give KL Rahul the responsibility.' 'Who's a ready-made captaincy candidate now? Shubman Gill? I don't think he is still a certainty in the XI,' Srikkanth told India Today. 'You're not handing the captaincy to KL Rahul or Rishabh Pant. Otherwise, you give it to Jasprit Bumrah. The 1983 World Cup winner feels the captain should be someone who is a sure shot starter. 'As of now, I think Bumrah should be the captain. If I were the chairman of selectors, I would make Bumrah the captain. And then I'd say, 'Boss, play whichever matches you want to'. I'd then appoint KL Rahul or Rishabh Pant as vice-captain, because these are certainties in the XI,' he further added. India squad for England Test tour LIVE Updates: The Indian cricket team for the upcoming Test tour can come anytime. The head of the Indian cricket team, Gautam Gambhir, and the BCCI selectors, including the head of the panel, Ajit Agarkar, could meet today (15 May, Thursday) in Mumbai to decide the new captain. Shubman Gill is tipped as the favourite to replace former Indian Test team captain Rohit Sharma, who retired a week ago. However, given Gill's lack of experience and the fact that he is yet to establish himself in the format, the role could go to Jasprit Bumrah. India's next Test captain: Gill or Bumrah? Bumrah captained India in the Perth Test in Australia, which India won and is an all-format player. If selectors do not pick the pacer as the captain, then Rishabh Pant can also be an option. There are also rumours that Karun Nair or Ishan Kishan could return to the Indian Test squad, but things will only become clear after the squad is announced officially. We will bring you all the latest updates regarding the Indian Test squad here on our live blog.
