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NDTV
5 hours ago
- Sport
- NDTV
India To Play Jasprit Bumrah "Wildcard" In Oval Test. Report Lifts Lid On Kuldeep Yadav's Chances
After a valiant fightback in Manchester, Team India has earned the opportunity to share the spoils, with the fifth and final Test scheduled to start on Thursday at The Oval. Currently trailing 1-2 in the series, the Indian team forced a draw in the Manchester Test last week, batting for over five sessions, including the entire Day 5. With the series on the line, the visitors are expected to make a few changes. According to a report by the Times of India, the team management is likely to opt for a "wildcard" approach as far as Jasprit Bumrah is concerned. It was confirmed before the team's arrival in England that Bumrah will only play three matches. However, since it's all to play for at The Oval, the management is considering to retain him in the playing XI. "It is understood that a "wildcard" approach could be followed as far as Bumrah is concerned, and the team management is likely to shore up wicket-taking options for the fixture," the report said. The report added that spinner Kuldeep Yadav, who is yet to play a game in this series, is also likely to play. "Kuldeep Yadav has been warming the bench during the four Tests and his wait may well end. There is some prediction of rain in the week ahead but weather has had very little bearing on the surfaces, which have continued to be dry throughout the series," he added. Also, pacer Anshul Kamboj, who made his debut in Manchester, is unlikely to be retained. " Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep are set to feature and the third bowler could be either Bumrah or one of Arshdeep or Prasidh Krishna as Anshul Kamboj is highly unlikely to hold on to his spot after an underwhelming debut. This leaves the thinktank with the same question again - Shardul Thakur 's "depth" or Kuldeep's wickets?"
Indian Express
6 hours ago
- Sport
- Indian Express
England vs India: Lack of trust in No 3 and wicket-keepers behind leaving out Kuldeep Yadav from playing XI
Will Kuldeep Yadav get his first game of the series in the final Test of this long tour? The team management is considering that option but it's not going to be an open-and-shut case. Unfortunately for Kuldeep, according to those in the know, it isn't his skill or talent that the decision-makers doubt. What keeps him out of the team is the unreliability of India's frontline batsmen – namely the No.3 and, surprisingly, also the wicket-keepers. At the start of the tour, it was Rishabh Pant and now it's his replacement Dhruv Jurel. And also the local conditions. More about how The Oval might not be ideal for Kuldeep later. First the wicket-keepers. Pant has been an enigma for the cricketing world, and also for the team. When dealing with him, the Indian decision-makers stick to 'believe in God but lock your car' philosophy. He has been an asset to the team but not quite a steady stock – before this Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series. At one point, there was a school of thought that plans can't be formed around someone with the habit of leaping down the track in the first over he faces. And certainly not someone who has scored just one fifty in nine innings in Australia, India's last Test outing before the England tour. It's not that those with correct strokes and conventional outlook towards scoring runs don't have bad patches. They also fail but it's human to trust a textbook cricketer playing in a time-tested manner. If a mathematician has to describe the Indian batting line-up, KL Rahul and Shubman Gill will be constants and batsmen like Pant the variables. On this tour, Pant was becoming one of the constants. In his seven innings here, he has two 100s and three 50s. But just when the team management was getting used to the runs coming from down the order, India's most comfortable-looking batsman on the tour was hit on the foot by a full ball – the fracture ruling him out of the remainder of the series. In Pant's place comes Jurel, who has played just one Test outside India. His outing at Perth wasn't too long. The other Virat Kohli-sized hole in the middle order is at the No.3 spot where Sai Sudharsan and Karun Nair haven't yet given confidence to the team management. They have been given chances but have shown a tendency to get out to innocuous balls and not score in crunch situations. They don't seem to be putting a high price on their wicket. In case India had a settled No.3 and a wicket-keeper playing percentage cricket, Kuldeep would have been a sure-shot selection in most Tests in England. That hasn't happened so India faces the old question again: Should they go with the specialist left-arm wrist-spinner or stick to pace all-rounder Shardul Thakur? Batting coach Sitanshu Kotak, like many other Team India coaches who have faced the media, explained the complexity of the Kuldeep call. He was asked a pertinent question about playing four specialist bowlers from 8 to 11 – in other words Kuldeep and three pure pacers. Kotak took his time to say that 'scoring 550 to 600 runs is as important as taking 20 wickets' and it was by scoring runs that they won their only Test of this series at Edgbaston. 'Once you play with five bowlers, everyone has to bowl well. In case you play with six bowlers, one of them can be under-bowled. And if that bowler is an all-rounder, you know he will also contribute in batting. But if he happens to be a pure bowler … when you look back at the game, you will think that instead of an extra bowler, if we had a batsman…' he explained the quandary. Kotak indicated that it's always easy to be wise after a game. Before it, the only thing the team management can do is think of playing a balanced side. But he still didn't rule out Kuldeep. 'That also depends on the wicket and what we feel about it .. the captain and coach will take a look at the pitch and decide who they will play.' Now to the pitch and the question of adding Kuldeep to the spin department that has un-droppable all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar. Can India play three spinners at The Oval? Historically, the venue helps spinners but this time around, the domestic games here have seen teams scoring in the range of 250-300 with pacers doing most of the damage. This is clear from the new addition to the England squad – homeboy Jamie Overton. With offie Shoaib Basher injured and Liam Dawson not really effective at Manchester, England will focus on their quicks. Overton joins Gus Atkinson, another Surrey boy, who know his way around The Oval. Does that mean India will play Jasprit Bumrah? That looks unlikely but can't be ruled out. If the World No.1 bowler sits out, India in all likelihood will play Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep and, finally, Arshdeep Singh. Is it worth burdening Bumrah with extra workload? It was something that coach Gautam Gambhir, at one point on this tour, was dead against. But then India's only win on this tour came when Bumrah wasn't in the XI. And has he become less impactful with the new ball and gotten slower as the series has progressed? At The Oval, India need to bring out stone, paper and those sharp scissors.
NDTV
7 hours ago
- Sport
- NDTV
"Shubman Gill Realised Impersonating Virat Kohli Was A Mistake": Ex India Star's Blunt Remark
Team India's defeat against England in the Lord's Test saw an uncharacteristic Shubman Gill come to the fore. The newly-appointed India captain looked ultra-aggressive at times, even engaged in verbal duels with England players on the field. Many considered this act by Gill as an attempt to impersonate Virat Kohli, who was known to wear his heart on the sleeve. Just like Virat, Gill tried to get under the England batters' skin but his attempts largely looked unsuccessful. Sanjay Manjrekar was one of the cricket pundits who compared Gill's newly-found aggression to Kohli's. However, the skipper looked largely calm in the Manchester Test, much to the delight of former India batter Mohammad Kaif. "In this Test, you must have seen that whenever the camera zoomed in on him, he was calm. He realised his mistake of trying to impersonate Virat Kohli... He realised his calm nature, and it transpired in his batting. He showed that he has temperament," Kaif said on his YouTube channel. Speaking of the drawn Manchester Test, Kaif called out a big 'mistake' made by Gill and India head coach Gautam Gambhir as they went into the encounter with a specialist spinner like Kuldeep Yadav. "Kuldeep Yadav not playing was a huge mistake in Manchester... you needed a left-arm spinner. I think he will play the next Test match at The Oval because India are 1-2 behind in the series. You have to win The Oval Test. If you lose it, then you'll lose the series. You have to win to level the series. You can't even draw. To win, you need 20 wickets. To bag 20 wickets, you've to play better bowlers in the XI. You need Kuldeep Yadav in the next Test match regardless of the conditions, seaming or overcast," he added.
NDTV
8 hours ago
- Sport
- NDTV
RCB Came Close To Sacking Virat Kohli In 2019, Make This Star Captain: Report
Star batter Virat Kohli is undoubtedly one of the greatest cricketers ever to play the gentleman's game. Apart from his vast contributions made for Team India in international cricket, Kohli has immensely contributed for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL and took them to new heights. Being associated with the franchise since the inaugural season in 2008, Kohli played many match-winning knocks for them and even captained the team from 2013 to 2021. RCB won their maiden IPL title in 2025 under the captaincy of Rajat Patidar, after beating Punjab Kings in the final. During Kohli's captaincy stint, RCB reached final in 2016 but lost against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Despite his strong show with the bat, Kohli was often criticised for his style of captaincy and RCB's title drought. Recently, former England all-rounder Moeen Ali, who was once a part of RCB's squad, revealed that the franchise was looking to sack Kohli from captaincy during IPL 2019 and planning to promote wicketkeeper-batter Parthiv Patel as the new skipper. "Yes, I think he was. I'm quite sure he was. In the final year when Gary Kirsten was there-after the first year, I believe-Parthiv was in line to become captain. He had a brilliant cricketing brain," Moeen said on Sports Tak. "That was the talk at the time. I don't know what happened or why it didn't materialise, but I'm sure he was seriously considered for the role," he added. However, Kohli remained RCB's skipper in 2019 and stayed in the role before stepping down himself after 2021 to manage his workload. Talking about Parthiv, the former wicketkeeper-batter played 139 matches in the IPL and scored 2,848 runs. He also won multiple titles with Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians. His last appearance came in 2019 with RCB. In IPL 2025, he joined Gujarat Titans as the mentor. RCB's IPL title drought came to an after thy defeated Punjab Kings in the summit clash of 2025 by just six runs.
Indian Express
10 hours ago
- Sport
- Indian Express
Cricket on display during England series a matter of pride: Gautam Gambhir
India head coach Gautam Gambhir said touring England has always been a challenging assignment, but asserted that the quality of cricket in the ongoing series has made 'every cricket lover proud.' Gambhir was addressing a gathering at the India House on Monday evening to express gratitude for the fans' support during the course of the series, which saw the visitors pull off a dramatic draw in the fourth Test at Manchester. 'Touring this part of the world has always been challenging because of the history between the two countries, which can never be forgotten,' said Gambhir during his speech. 'Whenever we have toured the UK, the kind of support we have got, we cherish every bit of it. We never take anything for granted. An evening to remember as the High Commission of India in London hosted #TeamIndia! 👏 The Indian cricket team captain Shubman Gill and Head Coach Gautam Gambhir presented signed cricket bats to Honourable High Commissioner Mr. Vikram Doraiswami and Deputy High Commissioner Mr.… — BCCI (@BCCI) July 29, 2025 'Last five weeks have been really exciting for both countries with the kind of cricket that has been on display, which I'm sure has made every cricket lover proud,' he added. The Indian cricket team received a rousing welcome from community leaders, parliamentarians and sports fans at a diaspora reception hosted by the High Commission of India in London, where the squad is set for the fifth and final Test against England at The Oval from Thursday. He went on to highlight the importance of the fifth and final Test, which India needed to win to level the series that now stands 2-1 in favour of England. 'Both the teams have thrown a lot of punches and have fought for every inch. We have got one more week to go, one final push to make and one more opportunity to make our country and people out here proud,' said Gambhir. The players were cheered enthusiastically by the crowd as some of the highlights from their recent games were played out on screen. Vikram Doraiswami, India's High Commissioner to the UK, said the fighting spirit the team showed during the series was a just reflection of the country's will to fight the odds. 'It's been a great series, played in the best of spirit. But the best bit of it all is the fact that we have a chance to see Test cricket played the way it is intended to be – contests for full five days, contests that have gone to the wire, contests in which the great sense of cricket as a game that is played with intensity for five days. 'And to have our team here display what is truly the range of skills but also the fighting spirit that is now associated with Team India is also a great reflection of the fighting spirit that now stands for the new India that we are all privileged to represent here,' said Doraiswami. 'No matter what happens (in the final Test), we couldn't be more proud of who you (Team India) are, what you represent, where you came from and what you mean to all of us,' he said. Richard Gould, chief executive of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), referenced the India-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA) signed off during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's UK visit last week as a sign of the immense scope of collaboration between the two nations, including sports. 'In four Test matches so far, every one of them has gone deep into the fifth day…It's difficult to remember a Test series that has really resounded as deeply as this one has, both in England and back in India, and we are all really looking forward to seeing the battle recommence at The Oval on Thursday,' said Gould. The diaspora gathering concluded with a brief in-conversation session moderated by commentator and former head coach Ravi Shastri with a few players including captain Shubman Gill. 'Before the start of the series, I felt I haven't really shown my best and I was working quite hard on my game before the series as I wanted to prove myself,' said Gill, with reference to his over 700 runs notched up during the series so far. 'It was a very hard-fought game of cricket over the past four days,' he added.
