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India Today
30-05-2025
- Sport
- India Today
Karun Nair 186 not out highlights India A's dominant batting show vs England Lions
India A produced a dominant batting display on Day 1 of their four-day red-ball match against England Lions at the St Lawrence Ground in Canterbury. Karun Nair made a compelling case for a place in the senior Test XI for the upcoming five-match series against England, beginning on 20 June. At stumps, India A had surged to an imposing 409 for 3 in 90 overs, making an emphatic start to their three-match tour of Old brought up his 24th first-class hundred – and his second in succession – following his match-winning knock in the Ranji Trophy final for Vidarbha earlier this year. He was in sublime touch, striking 24 boundaries and a six, capitalising on favourable batting conditions in A were jolted early by the loss of their captain Abhimanyu Easwaran and fellow opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, but Nair and Sarfaraz Khan combined to steady the innings. The duo put on a mammoth 181-run stand for the third wicket, thwarting any momentum the England Lions had hoped to build. Post-Tea, Dhruv Jurel joined Nair in the middle and immediately got into his groove, cashing in on some lacklustre bowling from a weary England Lions attack. Jurel raced to an unbeaten 82 off just 104 deliveries, showcasing a fine blend of aggression and control as the bowlers struggled to maintain intensity in the final both Sarfaraz and Jurel displayed impressive skill and temperament, it was Karun Nair who stood out, exhibiting composure, elegance and a wide range of strokes. He took his time early on, seeing off the new ball against a disciplined four-pronged pace attack, before opening up with confident Nair has done itHe played under the clouds but did not gift his wicket. Showed Great Temperament#INDAvsENGLions #KarunNair @BCCIClip credit: @ECB_cricket The Cricket Pundits (@TCPofficial_X) May 30, 2025Nair, armed with a mountain of runs in domestic cricket and a solid stint with Delhi Capitals in IPL 2025, appeared calm and assured at the crease. His footwork was sharp — decisive against spin and pace alike. Whether rocking back to punch through cover or driving on the front foot, he looked in complete judgement outside the off-stump was immaculate, giving the Indian team management plenty to ponder as they prepare for life without Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli ahead of a new cycle in the World Test impressive was Nair's backfoot play; he allowed the ball to come to him, playing late and handling the bouncers with aplomb. The Karnataka batter, who last played for India in 2017, displayed authority with his pull and hook shots, reminding everyone of his class and AND JAISWAL DISAPPOINTadvertisementEarlier in the day, there was disappointment for skipper Abhimanyu Easwaran, who failed to capitalise on yet another opportunity, falling leg-before to left-arm pacer Josh Hull. Yashasvi Jaiswal, who looked assured during his 55-ball 24, will rue his shot selection — a loose drive off pacer Eddie Jack resulted in a catch behind to Lions skipper James Khan, too, was visibly dejected as he missed out on a well-deserved century by just eight runs. The Mumbai batter, who was omitted from India's Test squad for the England tour, was caught behind while attempting to glance a harmless delivery down the leg-side — a soft dismissal after a composed India A look to pile on further runs on Day 2, the first-innings total is expected to provide their bowlers with a sizeable cushion as they adapt to English conditions. With several players staking a claim for senior selection, the visitors will hope the momentum continues across the four-day Watch
Hindustan Times
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
BCCI handed fresh India No. 3 suggestion as Gill backed for Kohli's No. 4: 'Why change something that is not broken?'
With the debate around who would be the next India captain after Rohit Sharma's retirement reportedly having reached its end, with Shubman Gill emerging as the likely replacement, a bigger challenge awaits the selection committee and team management of now finding who would fill the big shoes of Virat Kohli at No. 4. India do have a plethora of options to choose from, with a few experts having backed KL Rahul for the job, while others reckoned the experienced Karun Nair, who had a fabulous Ranji season, could replace Kohli at No. 4 in the Test XI. However, former India cricketer Wasim Jaffer backed Gill for the role, as he felt Rahul should not be removed from the opening position after having proven his worth in the tour of Australia, and hence had a brand-new suggestion for the No. 3 spot. "I guess Shubman could be the guy. He opens in white-ball cricket, but in Test cricket, he needs to move down to 4. KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal have done well as openers in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. I feel KL should continue to open. Why change something that is not broken? Sai Sudharsan looks assured, and he should be given a longer rope at No. 3," Jaffer told The Times of India. The 25-year-old has only recently shown some stability at No. 3, having scored three centuries in the last 15 months. However, all those knocks came on home soil. A forgettable tour of Australia also had Gill as one of its victims, with the series exposing his vulnerability in a foreign land. He averages just 19 in 12 innings with no half-century score away from home. Not to forget, he also did not have a memorable time in England, where he struggled against the new ball, scoring just 88 runs in three matches, albeit as an opener. While it is yet to be seen if the think tank will make that decision, Sudharsan could be a definitive choice in the lineup. The left-hander does have the experience of playing in the English conditions, having performed impressively in the last County Championship, where he scored a century for Surrey batting at No. 6. He also scored a double century for Tamil Nadu in the previous Ranji Trophy season.
NDTV
12-05-2025
- Sport
- NDTV
Rohit Sharma's Test Journey: An Average Middle-Order Batter To A Fine Opener
Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from Test cricket and bid farewell to a fine career which was divided into two distinct halves. He was a very mediocre middle-order batter for the first 27 matches of his Test career with a batting average of just under 40. However, just like in ODI cricket, his fortunes changed dramatically when he was pushed to open for the country. From the Visakhapatnam Test of 2019 till the Dharamsala Test of 2024, Rohit - the Test batter averaged 50 and was not only one of the premier openers in the world but also the leading batter for India in the format. The Struggle Outside India Rohit had a great start to his Test career with two hundreds in his first two appearances for India - against West Indies in Kolkata and Mumbai - but then witnessed a major slump in whites for India. He scored just 1585 runs in his first 27 Tests at an average of 39.6. Rohit had a very high Failure Rate of almost 50% and crossed the three-figure mark on just one more occasion in this time-frame - against Sri Lanka in Nagpur in 2017 - four years after his debut! Although he still had outstanding returns at home, Rohit had shocking numbers outside India scoring just 816 runs in 18 away Tests at an average of 26.3. He did not have a ton outside the country. Though a modern great in limited-overs' cricket, he was at the crossroads of his long-form career and time was running out fast for Rohit - the batter. The Vizag Twin Tons Rohit had a horrendous tour of South Africa and that was followed by a tough tour Down Under. The clamour for seeing him out of the Test XI increased. With his career in the doldrums, Rohit was pushed to open for India as the very last resort. It turned out to be a masterstroke. Rohit made the opportunity count and how! He smashed a ton in both the innings of the series opener against South Africa in Vizag, becoming the sixth Indian batter to achieve the unique feat. The stunning performance gave rise to Rohit Sharma - the Test opener - and unleashed another chapter for India in Test cricket. The Domination as Test Opener From the Vizag Test in October, 2019 till the end of the home series against England in Dharamsala in March, 2024, Rohit - the Test opener - rose to new heights and was amongst the premier top-order batters in the world! He was the leading run-scorer amongst all openers in the world in this time-frame and piled on 2552 runs in 32 matches at an average of 50.03 with nine centuries and 7 fifties. Amongst the 15 openers who scored at least 1000 runs in a minimum of 10 Tests played in this period, only Dimuth Karunaratne (52.4) had a higher batting average than Rohit during this period. No opening batter recorded more tons than Rohit's 9 in these four and a half years. Timing & Context of Performances Rohit's rise as a Test opener coincided with a turbulent time for the Big 3 of India in the format. Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane had a poor run in 2020 and 2021. Kohli had an average of 26.1, Pujara - 26.2 and Rahane - 25 in this period and the onus was on Rohit to step up and make it count. Rohit towered above all other Indian batters in this time-frame (2020-2021) scoring 906 runs in just 11 Tests at an average of 47.68! His 161 off just 231 deliveries England in Chennai in 2021 (India were 0-1 down in the series) is widely rated amongst the greatest hundreds by any batter on Indian soil. Rohit played 20 Tests at home between Vizag, 2019 and Dharamsala, 2024 and hammered 1633 runs at an average of 54.43 and strike rate of 65.4. No Indian scored more runs than Rohit at home in this time-frame. The rate at which he scored his runs was also significant as not only did it demoralized the opposition bowlers but also created enough time for the Indian bowlers to bowl the opposition out twice. The Overseas Transformation While Rohit always had a fine record in India, the big change in his Test career came in his overseas performances. He scored 919 runs in 12 Tests at an average of 43.76 with two centuries and five fifties away from India in this period. From his opening partnership with Shubman Gill in Brisbane and Sydney to his 83 in the massive win at Lord's to finally recording his first overseas hundred - in the Oval Test of September 2021, Rohit the opener grew in stature and contributed to some of India's most significant wins away from home during this period. Rohit suffered a major dip in his form in the last eight Tests of his career and scored just 164 runs in 15 innings at an average of 10.93. These included two home Tests against Bangladesh and three against New Zealand and three away Tests in Australia. However, his most significant achievement in the longest format was the contribution he made as opener - raising his game, under pressure when the chips were down for India in the period between October, 2019 and March, 2024 - a period when most of the other Indian batters struggled, Rohit rose to the occasion and scored tough runs when his team needed him the most. And that is his biggest legacy to Indian Test cricket!
Yahoo
04-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Marnus cops fresh blow as Aussie rival sends telling message to Test selectors
Beau Webster has provided a huge statement to Australian cricket selectors that he deserves a spot in next month's World Test Championship final, with a superb batting display on his county debut for Warwickshire in England. Playing on a tricky Headingley pitch, the Aussie all-rounder's counter-attacking knock of 85 runs off 86 balls helped his side overtake Yorkshire's first innings total of 205 and take a 48-run lead. And it surely puts even more pressure on Marnus Labuschagne to hang onto his spot in Australia's Test XI after his struggles with the bat in red-ball cricket. With the WTC final to be played against South Africa at Lord's next month, Webster's innings could not have come at a much better time as he looks to cement a spot in the Aussie side. Cameron Green also gave national selectors plenty to think about with a stunning unbeaten century on debut for Gloucestershire in the second division of the county championship last month, before he had to retire with cramp. But after a long layoff following back surgery last year, Green's injury return comes as a specialist batter only, while Webster also offers another seam bowling option for the Aussies. But on the 31-year-old's debut knock for Warwickshire, it was Webster's bat that did the talking as he helped haul in Yorkshire's first innings total with some big-hitting to continue his impressive form this year. Webster's pre-lunch assault came at almost a run a ball and he was largely responsible for getting the side to a total of 253 after starting the day on 32. The Aussie reached his half-century off 54 balls, and took a shine to the wayward pace bowling of fellow Aussie debutant Jordan Buckingham, cracking him for five boundaries as the Yorkshire quick ended with grim figures of 1-84 off his 11 overs. When Yorkshire skipper and wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow moved up to the stumps for Ben Coad's medium pace deliveries, Webster had the audacity to scoop him straight over Bairstow's shoulder for six. The Tasmanian dominated a 74-run eighth-wicket partnership with wicketkeeper Kai Smith, before holing out to midwicket with a century in sight after seeing a succession of batting partners come and go. 𝗞𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝘂𝗽? 𝗡𝗼 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺 🤩Beau Webster wastes no time after Bairstow comes up to the Stream 📺 | #YORvWAR — Bears 🏏 (@WarwickshireCCC) May 3, 2025 Beau Webster is batting on a entirely different pitch altogether. What a memorable debut for Warwickshire 👏👏 — Max Cady From Cape Fear (@patrikbateman62) May 3, 2025 Just like many Aussies in this County season, Beau Webster made an immediate impact on debut. In a low-scoring match where no other batter across both innings managed a fifty so far, he stood out with a counterattacking 85 off 86 balls while batting at No. 7... — Abhishek AB (@ABsay_ek) May 3, 2025 "To get to that first-innings lead was really important. It was touch and go, but Beau played brilliantly on a track like that," Warwickshire's Ed Barnard said. Webster's new teammate watched the powerful striker hitting 13 fours and a six to propel the side into their first innings lead. Webster didn't fare as well with the ball, finishing with 0-50 off 11 overs in Yorkshire's second knock, but of all the batters on view, only England great Joe Root could get anywhere near his score, eventually being dismissed for 90 out of the home side's 232 all out. The Aussie looks set to be called on to bat again, with Warwickshire needing 170 more to win on Sunday with all 10 wickets in hand. Webster and Green are both locked in a hotly contested battle for a spot in Australia's Test side, and their recent feats with the bat in county cricket won't do their causes any harm. Marnus Labuschagne appears to be the man most under threat in Australia's batting order, with position under growing scrutiny after a lean couple of years with the willow. Labuschagne only averaged 25.36 with the bat across the summer after a largely disappointing series against India and then again in Sri Lanka. That came after an equally underwhelming previous year for Labuschagne, where he averaged just 27.08 across the summer of 2023/24. Despite returning to the Sheffield Shield to find form, Labuschagne failed to light up the competition with scores of 23, 0 and 61 in his three innings. The Test No.3 was powerless to help Queensland in the Shield final as they went down to South Australia. And with Green's immediate return to the runs and Webster's latest statement in county cricket, calls could grow louder for Labuschagne to be replaced in the Test side for the WTC final against South Africa. Potentially working in Labuschagne's favour is the fact it's a one-off match and selectors may be reluctant to make too many changes to the batting order but the form of his rivals makes it a nervous wait for the 30-year-old. with AAP
