Latest news with #StarSportsIndia
Indian Express
2 days ago
- Sport
- Indian Express
England vs India: Trying to deny Ravindra Jadeja & Washington Sundar hundreds, Ben Stokes should understand the rest of the world doesn't follow Bazball morality
There is much to be admired in Ben Stokes: his cricket, his spirit, his leadership style, public sharing of his vulnerabilities. And yet there is a streak of churlishness that pops up now and then. Like it did at Old Trafford late Sunday evening. And also during the last Ashes at Lord's when Australian wicketkeeper Alex Carey legally ran out Jonny Bairstow, who never returned to the safety of his crease at the end of the over. Stokes had carried on a bit there too about the morality of it all. 'If that's the way they want to play the game …' – he would say as if the Australians had broken some rule or cheated. The only issue then was that his batsman was out of the crease, and the only morality in Manchester is that the Indians were entitled to play out as many overs as they wanted. No rule could stop them and in case there was one, the umpires would have duly informed the Indians before Stokes's uncalled-for enterprise. Scored a hundred, saved the Test, farmed ♾ aura! 💁♂#RavindraJadeja didn't hesitate, till the end 👀#ENGvIND 👉 5th TEST | Starts THU, 31st July, 2:30 PM | Streaming on JioHotstar! — Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) July 27, 2025 What Stokes should be mindful of is that his view of morality isn't the only one the world follows. He might think that a batsman wanting to score about 20 more runs, after playing for two full sessions on a fifth-day pitch and reaching 80s, was a 'selfish act'. But others might not agree. This 'self-centred' standpoint might be prevalent among Bazball believers, but the rest of the world and the rulebook still gives batsmen the right to reach milestones and fans the right to watch their heroes score hundreds. Saving Tests gallantly is still a legitimate third option, and Tests are not mandated to be binary. At Old Trafford, a large number of Indian fans had reached the venue with hope. At the start of Day 5, England was the obvious favourite to win the Test. There were even chances of the game getting over by lunch but still they came in hordes after travelling miles. Since morning, the fans crossed their fingers and prayed for their team's survival. The wickets of Shubman Gill and KL Rahul by lunch spread gloom, but they still stuck around. They cheered India's ball-by-ball, over-by-over, session-by-session recovery. They ran with Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar when they scampered between wickets and once the day's heroes had virtually ensured a draw, they waited for them to get their well-deserved hundreds. They wanted to be part of the crescendo, let out their pent-up emotions, acknowledge the 'great escape', celebrate the draw when Jadeja and Washington would cross their 100s. But there was a problem. Carried away by the cult of Bazball, Stokes didn't look beyond the book their coach Brendon McCullum had written for them. The world periodically gets to know about the Bazball commandments and Old Trafford too was educative. It came with the wisdom that for Stokes and his boys, personal achievements are pursuits of the petty and those with a shallow understanding of the game. Once there was no result possible, runs or wickets don't matter. Maybe, Lord's should think of taking down names of tons scored in drawn games from the honours board. England were the hipsters, on a higher plane. The MCC writes the rules, the Bazballers decide the rights and wrongs – for their rivals and even for the paying public that stayed back for hours and relished every run that Jadeja and Washington scored while moving from 80s to 100. By the way, they also fancy themselves as entertainers and claim they give the fans what they want. Even if one keeps the fans out of this and thinks of a scenario where Jadeja and Washington were not nearing their hundreds with 15 overs left when the English got itchy and lippy and started sledging, India had the rationale of playing as long as they wanted. Batting great Sunil Gavaskar once said that his favourite way of sending the ball to the boundary was making it roll slowly on the turf. 'If one smashes it to the boundary, perhaps it is demoralising to the opposition. But I personally prefer the ball to just about beat the fielder because in that case, the fielder has been made to run those 25 to 30 yards,' he once said. A dramatic finish. A tale of two camps. 👀🗣️ The final 10 minutes at Manchester had all the makings of a masala thriller! Here's how #TeamIndia coach @GautamGambhir and England's @benstokes38 reacted to the hand-shake chaos that unfolded.#ENGvIND 👉 5th TEST | Starts THU, 31st… — Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) July 28, 2025 Keeping England on the field for a longer period would have long-term gains for India, with the next Test starting in three days' time. Just tiring the already exhausted England team wasn't gamesmanship, it was sharp thinking. That would be hard-nosed cricket. Douglas Jardine, England's best Test captain perhaps, would have approved, though Indians chose calm non-violence. So would Ian Botham or Freddie Flintoff, two equally skilled and popular England all-rounders. They too didn't give an inch, minded their business and didn't walk across to the other dressing room to give a sermon on cricket morality. When Jadeja didn't shake hands and walk off the field, Stokes would ask him – 'Jaddu, do you want to get a Test 100 against Brook & Duckett?' It was an insult to an epic knock scored on a pitch with variable bounce against a quality attack. Jadeja got the 100 against Stokes, Jofr Archer, Brydon Carse, Liam Dawson and Joe Root and was still willing to play them and score the rest of the runs. It was Stokes who was throwing the ball to Brook and Duckett – it wasn't Jadeja deciding the bowlers. The solidity that Jadeja and Washington showed in the final session, it wouldn't have mattered if the frontline bowlers had the ball in their hands. The Indians would have scored their tons and their fans would have celebrated anyway. The England captain's churlishness proved contagious. Young Harry Brook, England's ODI captain and next in line to take over the Test captaincy, not only had a spray at the batsmen, but bowled utter filthy lollipops which could be argued was what demeaned the game. It cheapened the great human spirit that raged in the fight shown by Jadeja and Washington and England's bowlers' inspiring struggle in trying to coax some life out of a comatose pitch. Cricket and cricketers make a big thing about 'crossing the line' – and all draw that line according to their own whims, expecting the rest of the world and cultures to follow that. But in doing so, they undermine themselves. Towards the end of the Test where he played like Superman, Stokes showed he too was human. He might be leaning on morality to justify his stand, but in reality he was merely being a sore loser, trying to avoid the ignominy of watching his tormentors get their moment of glory. They might have won the race, but Stokes didn't want them to take the victory lap.
India.com
2 days ago
- Sport
- India.com
Ravindra Jadeja Shuts Down Ben Stokes Draw Offer, Hits Hundred Amid Handshake Row
In an explosive climax to the fourth Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar staged a heroic stand that not only secured a memorable draw for India but also sparked one of the most talked-about on-field confrontations in recent Test history. England captain Ben Stokes' sarcastic handshake offer and Jadeja's calm but firm refusal lit up social media and cricket circles, becoming a defining moment of a fiercely contested match. 5th TEST | Starts THU, 31st July, 2:30 PM | Streaming on JioHotstar! — Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) July 27, 2025 As the shadows lengthened on Day 5 at Old Trafford, with India's rear-guard action frustrating the hosts, Stokes approached Jadeja and Sundar with an offer to settle the match as a draw—with both Indian batters nearing centuries and India having all but sealed a result. Jadeja was on 89 and Sundar on 80. Stokes, in a moment that would soon be branded as unsporting by fans, reportedly taunted: 'Do you want to score a hundred against Harry Brook?' To which a smiling but composed Jadeja replied, 'I can't do anything.' Far from the sportsmanship one might expect at that stage, the England captain's tone suggested frustration and bruised ego. Instead of gracefully acknowledging a hard-fought draw, England's camp resorted to symbolic protest—bringing on part-time bowler Harry Brook, who sent down slow, looping deliveries that Jadeja promptly dispatched, one of them going for a six to bring up his third Test century. Jadeja and Sundar's Partnership: A Wall of Resistance While the Stokes incident stole the headlines, the cricket on display by Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar was nothing short of magnificent. Their 203-run stand was a masterclass in composure, technique, and grit—especially after India were rocked at 0/2 and then lost the well-set pair of Shubman Gill and KL Rahul (who had earlier stitched together a 188-run partnership) early on Day 5. On a Day 5 surface that offered inconsistent bounce but little outright menace, the two southpaws took charge, blunting England's attack with steely resolve. Their innings echoed memories of Ashwin and Vihari's Sydney heroics in 2021, with a similar message: India won't back down. Ben Stokes and England Invite Backlash: 'Bazball to Beg-Ball' Stokes' behavior, and England's collective reaction, quickly drew sharp criticism across social media. Hashtags like #BazballToBegBall and phrases like 'bullying tactics' and 'fragile ego' trended online, as fans slammed England for undermining Jadeja and Sundar's effort. 'Imagine if Joe Root was on 99 and the opposition captain offered a draw,' one fan wrote, summing up the general sentiment. Others mocked Stokes' remark as poor leadership, with @Im__Arfan tweeting: 'Such pathetic words from a captain. Jadeja played your main bowlers with ease. The hundred is well-earned.' India's Moral Victory and England's Rare Draw in the Bazball Era Despite England's initial dominance, India's comeback was remarkable—not just statistically but in terms of psychological edge. This marked only the second draw for England in 40 Tests under the Bazball era, the previous one also at Old Trafford during the rain-affected 2023 Ashes. With Rishabh Pant nursing a foot injury and unavailable to bat unless absolutely necessary, India's resolve became even more significant. Jadeja's fluent century and Sundar's maiden Test ton will be remembered as symbols of resilience, and a timely reminder that even in modern cricket's fast-paced age, milestones achieved through patience and pride still matter.
Indian Express
3 days ago
- Sport
- Indian Express
Washington Sundar: The new monk, who stood unconquered at Manchester
The celebrations were understated for someone who completed his first Test hundred; and for someone who rarely gets the chance to reach the landmark. A shimmy for a single, short sprint to mid-on, a calm unfastening of the helmet and a wave of the bat with a face as cold as stone. There was no roar, no smile or even a grin of relief on Washington Sundar's face. It was an extension of his batting as well a reflection of his personality, monkishly imperturbable, not prone to excessive outpouring of emotions, in both good and bad times. The only streak of over-excitement in his career was verbal faux pas on the fourth evening of the Lord's Test when he averred that India would wrap up the chase of 192 before first session on the final. It gloriously backfired, to almost the hue of Tim Paine's 'See you in Gabba taunt'. But he was quickly over it and played a defining role in the game. He was India's sharpest bowler in the game, and he was the face of India's defiance on the fifth day. Then he is not a stranger to acts of tenacity. Take some of India's most memorable Test matches in the last four years, he had been there, in the eye of a storm, in the heat and heart of the battle. In Brisbane first innings, on debut, he gritted 62 off 144 balls, laying the foundations of his country's most memorable hour this decade. There are several other priceless but forgotten knocks — 85 not out on a Chennai turner, 96 not out in Motera, the 42 in Birmingham in the first innings. Even the 22 off 29 cameo in Brisbane had its own value. But unless the scorecards are forked out, footages rewatched the contributions don't strike, or the strokes he essayed flash on the mind's eye. Partly, it is down to his demeanour, self-effacing to a fault. He is that boy next door cricketer you bump so frequently in the maidans and streets. The boy who does everything, bat, bowl and field, without making a fuss about it, neither making it look ridiculously simple nor elaborately laborious. He is the name you pause in a scorecard, or ponder and forget. What-a-TON Sundar! 💯 Grit. Determination. Dominance. Held the fort till the very end, a maiden test century to cherish forever! 🙌🏻#ENGvIND 👉 5th TEST | Starts THU, 31st July, 2:30 PM | Streaming on JioHotstar! — Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) July 27, 2025 Unless he is in the middle of winning or saving a game, which he often finds himself in a Test match. It's something of an occupational hazard when batting down the order. In 22 innings, the highest he had ever batted is at No. 5 — in this very innings, necessitated by Rishabh Pant's injury. The most familiar number has been eight (11), closely followed by seven. He has once batted at six and thrice at nine. But No 9 or 5, he remained just the same, as much as unexcited as unfazed. The enormity of the moment did not crush him. He marked his guard with a faint smile that masked whatever nerves that boiled inside his head. He bunted a pair of runs straight away and then offered a blunt broad bat for the next half an hour. He is one of the few Indian batsmen in recent times who has shown the fading art of batting time. He is rarely edgy or jumpy, always behind the ball, sparsely attempting a flashy stroke, even though he first struck acclaim as a T20 gun for hire. Nothing is careless, impetuous or wasted. He has a full array of strokes, but he knows perfectly when, where and how to use them. He judges, and seizes the moments. On Sunday, it came when Ben Stokes started barraging short balls around the 110th over. By then he had faced close to a hundred balls and just to unsettle Stokes and prompt him to a different plan of attack, he got under one nailed a fierce pull over deep square leg for a six. Memories would have rolled back to 2021, when he clumped Pat Cummins for a similar six in the Gabba chase. Like when tall batsmen pull, there was an awkward elegance about it. The next ball was nailed through the same area to defang Stokes. The over before, the England captain had produced a spiteful bouncer at Ravindra Jadeja, who somehow scrambled to safety. A decisive but mini battle was thus won. Soon after, India wiped England's lead and the confidence swelled that they could escape the game without a humiliation. He was largely in control, and when he was not, he ensured that the good balls didn't haunt him. Archer made a ball leap into the splice of his bat in the 92nd over. Liam Dawson made one spit from the rough. England sniffed a moment when they could burst through the resistance of India's last recognised pair. He then thick-edged Dawson after misreading the drift, he wafted thin air when Archer snapped a ball past his stab. He survived the storm, and lived to tell the tale. The knock could be the one that would finally make the audience begin appreciating the traits that make him a valuable member of the eleven. He is a deluxe cricketer most teams would covet. A proper Test batsman and off-spinner, the fight and grit masked beneath his boy-next-door charms.
Indian Express
4 days ago
- Sport
- Indian Express
Mission (im) possible: KL Rahul, Shubman Gill battle hard to give India a chance to save fourth Test
A few days back, Indian captain Shubman Gill was asked about the one thing about the new job that surprised him. He would smile and say that he doesn't get tired much as he mostly fields around the pitch but he does get mentally drained at the end of the day. So, after leading his deflated side for 157.1 overs, handling a bowling unit not sticking to plans and battling thoughts of a hard-fought series slipping, Shubman would have been mentally knackered at the end of the England innings. And just as he would have put his leg up in the dressing room, he had to rush back on to the field. The score was 0/2, Chris Woakes was on a hat-trick, opener Yashasvi Jaiswal and No.3 Sai Sudharsan were back in the hut. After the worst couple of days of his captaincy, Gill was facing the toughest as skipper. It helped he had with him the calmest mind who was playing the tightest cricket on the tour, KL Rahul. In a partnership of epic proportions, Shubman and Rahul compiled an unbeaten 174, also India's total at stumps to revive a Test that looked lost and a series that seemed over. 𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝟒: 𝐃𝐲𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐜 𝐃𝐮𝐨 🤜🤛#KLRahul (87* off 210) and #ShubmanGill (78* off 167) stood strong on Day 4, digging India out of early trouble with a composed and crucial partnership under pressure 🔥 Catch the HIGHLIGHTS of Day 4 ➡ 👉… — Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) July 26, 2025 Trailing by 311 runs and 0/2, the Test seemed irredeemable. Most teams would have given up, most captains would have thrown in the towel but not this one. After playing for two full sessions, facing 317 balls, Shubman (87) and Rahul (78) had given hope when all seemed lost. This is shaping into a partnership that can be compared to the Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman partnership of 2001. In case India can stick around for one more day, this could go down as a Test recovery for ages. There are just two possible results – 'the more likely' England win and after the solid Rahul-Shubman show, the 'not quite impossible' India draw. India has ensured this remains an unputdownable series. Rains are expected on the final day of the Test but so will be an overcast sky. There have been no easy days on this tour and they come with the promise of exciting cricket. Rahul with his methodical play and Test match technique could be expected to play controlled cricket but Shubman's inning came as a refreshing surprise for its sheer tenacity – a rare virtue in Indian cricket. After spending every ounce of his energy trying to figure out ways to get the English batsmen out for the team, Shubman now with a bat in hand had to fight an individual battle. In the last three innings – twice at Lord's and in the first innings here – he has gotten out trying to dead-bat or leave the balls coming into him. At Lord's he was caught behind while negotiating the ball in the corridor by Chris Woakes, and in the next inning he was hit on the knee roll by Brydon Carse and was out lbw. Here Stokes had bowled the same line and length, Shubman had shouldered arms to a ball that DRS showed was hitting his stumps. This has been an old Shubman problem and England has been repeatedly exploiting it. Woakes and Jofra Archer both would test the Indian captain with good length balls on the off-stump with a few surprise yorkers thrown in for variety. Shubman would be tentative initially – not sure to take the stride forward to meet the ball or leave it. This must have been the most harrowing time for the Indian dressing room. A ball a millimeter close or the bat a shade closer would result in an edge flying behind the stumps. That was how close India was from losing a series. KL 🤝 GILL A batting masterclass from @klrahul & @ShubmanGill bails #TeamIndia out of early trouble! 💪 The highest 3rd-wicket partnership of the series! 🙌🏻#ENGvIND 👉 4th TEST, DAY 4 | LIVE NOW on JioHotstar 👉 — Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) July 26, 2025 From both the ends, England would attack Shubman with a barrage of nipbackers. Woakes with the talent of moving the ball in the air and Jofra Archer with the ability to make the ball come in sharply seemed close to wickets and were difficult to deal with. An early end to the game, an innings defeat to India on Day 4 was the most predicted outcome of this Test. In Jofra's second over, there were a couple of big appeals. First a Jofra late swinger would hit Gill on his boot, once again not sure about the stride forward. The skipper would survive as even technology was inconclusive. In the same over there was another appeal, once again Shubman was beaten on the front foot, since the ball was moving in too sharply they would avoid taking the DRS. It was in this crunch situation, while handling a personal and team crisis, that Shubman found a way to reset his batting technique, got hold of some spanner to tighten a few screws and grease some joints. Almost miraculously, he looked like a different batsman. There was the smooth transfer of weight and there was surety in his stride. This was a man refusing to give in, and a batsman who when troubled, not panicking but delving deep in the recesses of the mind to find a way to survive. He also was playing much straighter now. There were a couple of straight drives – one off Woakes and the other off Brydon Carse – that went racing to the sight screen from both sides of the stumps. On the second one, the graceful stroke-maker held his pose. This was a signal that he had dealt with that tough period of play. When on 48, luck too smiled on the brave captain. In a minor glitch in concentration, the India No.4 would try to over-reach for a Carse ball in the channel. He would edge to Liam Dawson at point, the ball would hit his hand but he couldn't catch it. 'Every batsman, at some stage of their life, changes the way they bat in Test cricket. Subman seems to be doing that brilliantly in England,' India's batting coach Sitanshu Kotak said. While Shubman was dealing with his demons, Rahul was a picture of composure. He was playing close to the body, meeting the ball late and moving away from the short balls. After the outside the off-stump bowling didn't give results, Stokes moved his troops on the other side of the field. For most of the final session, England bowled short balls on the body and placed four fielders square and behind the wicket. Rahul negated the ploy solidly. He wouldn't go for the pull but would bring the ball down. Now it was Stokes' turn to get frustrated. Before the Ashes, Rahul and Shubman gave a masterclass to the team that always plays for results, on the art and skill to play out a riveting draw.
NDTV
6 days ago
- Sport
- NDTV
Watch: Jofra Archer Targets Injured Rishabh Pant's Fractured Toes, Next Ball India Star Does This
If heroism had a synonymn, Rishabh Pant would be the most apt after what the India wicketkeeper-batter on Thursday. England might have thought it had seen the last of Rishabh Pant in this Test series against India. Pant had other ideas. After retiring early on day one of the fourth test at Old Trafford with a foot injury, Pant returned Thursday, albeit with a limp, and posted a half century as India reached 358 all out. England was 77-0 at tea in reply, with Ben Duckett hitting 43 off 41 balls with seven fours. Zak Crawley was 33 off 44. It was a gutsy display from Pant, who was hurt a day earlier when his showmanship got the better of him, and an attempted reverse sweep off Chris Woakes saw the ball deflect onto his right foot. He lay on the field in pain and had to leave on a cart, with his foot badly swollen. Reports suggested he'd sustained a fracture and India said he would be replaced by Dhruv Jurel as wicketkeeper for the rest of the match. But he was back at the crease after the visitors lost two wickets in the opening session. Walking slowly and uncomfortably, Pant was cheered as he came out to replace Shardul Thakur (41). He resumed on 37 and went on to reach 54 before being bowled by Jofra Archer, who sent the stumps crashing with India on 349-9. Between those two scores, Pant displayed extreme grit. He was target on the toe by Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer too. In fact, in one of the overs, Archer almost struck Pant on the toe, and the next ball he was hit for a boundary. Rishabh-Panti Max! They tried to hit him where it hurts... Pant responds by hitting it out of the park! Toughness has a new name @RishabhPant17 #ENGvIND 4th TEST, DAY 2 | LIVE NOW on JioHotstar — Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) July 24, 2025 England captain Ben Stokes made it five wickets in the first innings as the hosts took control after lunch, removing Washington Sundar (27) and Anshul Kamboj (0). When Pant went, it was only a matter of time before the innings was wrapped up, with Jasprit Bumrah (4) caught by Jamie Smith off Archer, who ended the innings with three wickets. England leads the five-match series 2-1.
