Latest news with #WorldTestChampionshipCycle
India Today
01-06-2025
- Sport
- India Today
Virat Kohli bailed out of the challenging England tour, claims former spinner
Former England spinner Monty Panesar feels star India batter Virat Kohli bailed out of the upcoming England tour. India are set to take on England in a five-match Test series beginning from June 20, which will also mark the start of World Test Championship Cycle of the all-important tour, Kohli announced his retirement from Test cricket, leaving everyone surprised. Recently, Monty Panesar shared his thoughts on Kohli's retirement, saying that he expected the batting stalwart to play in former off-spinner claimed that the former India captain may have been given an ultimatum by the team management and hence he decided to bail out of the tour by calling time on his Test career. 'I think he was definitely going to play. I think England were expecting, everyone was expecting him to play. I'm surprised he's kind of like bailed out. But maybe the fact that outside off-stump, he's just thinking, well, you know, they may have had a word with him. They said, look, if you don't score well in the first couple of Test matches, don't expect to play all the five. So, he's probably thinking, well, I'll just call it a day and give the youngsters a go,' Panesar told Hindustan Panesar said that India have a great chance to win if their middle order, particularly Karun Nair and Shubman Gill, perform would depend on how Karun Nair performs, he scored a double-hundred against the England Lions. He and Shubman Gill, that middle-order, how they bat. I think the batters who've played county cricket, if they are able to then transform that same form at the international level, then I think India have got a chance to win,' he upcoming series will also be the first assignment of Shubman Gill as the captain of the Indian Test team, who has been handed over the responsibility following Rohit Sharma's retirement. The 25-year-old has a herculean task at hand to inspire the team full of young stars to help India win a series in England for the first time since 2007.
Hindustan Times
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Rishabh Pant somersaults his way to first IPL century in 7 years, Anushka Sharma's reaction sums up RCB's woes vs LSG
Rishabh Pant made a big statement with an incredible century in Lucknow Super Giants' last match of IPL 2025. The left-handed batter, who struggled with the bat for the majority of the season, smashed a 54-ball century on Tuesday against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. The most expensive player in IPL history had a forgettable season till Tuesday as he made sure to end it with a front flip jump to celebrate his century. After getting signed for a whopping INR 27 crore, the spotlight was on Pant this season, but his repeated failures and struggles with the bat put him under scrutiny straightaway. The wicketkeeper batter endured one of the worst seasons of his IPL career and scored just two 50-plus scores, including one on Tuesday against RCB. With no pressure of qualification, Pant did find some rhythm back in the last two matches of the season and scored a quickfire 16 off 6 against Gujarat Titans and then followed it up with a century here on Tuesday. The left-handed batter smashed 10 fours and eight sixes en route to his century and also reached the milestone with a ridiculous shot over cover for a boundary. It was his first century since IPL 2018, and he made sure to celebrate it in style with a somersault. Following his electrifying celebration, the camera shifted to Virat Kohli's wife and Bollywood star Anushka Sharma in the stands—her smile fading as she watched Pant's brutal assault unfold. After his underwhelming show in the majority of this season, there were shouts for him to get released in the next auction by some fans and critics, but the swashbuckling batter reminded everyone of his talent with a ferocious knock. The LSG skipper looked confident in the middle with his approach and more expressive with his shots, whether flicks or pulls for sixes. He did attempt a few of his outrageous shots behind the stumps, but that didn't go as planned. However, whenever he went for a shot in front of the wicket, it had a stamp of authority. The trademark one-handed six off Suyash Sharma's over and then a maximum over extra cover off Romario Shepherd's delivery were enough to remind his doubters of the talent he possesses. Pant didn't mind when Jitesh Sharma asked LSG to bat first at the Ekana Stadium as he looked ready to take on the RCB bowling line-up on his own to finish the season on a high. He remained unbeaten on 118 off 61 balls as LSG posted a mammoth 227/3 to pose a big target for RCB in their high-stakes contest. Pant's knock was embellished with 11 fours and 8 sixes. His return to form is also a good sign for the Indian team, who will travel to England in June for the five-match Test series to kickstart the new World Test Championship Cycle. Pant, who has slammed centuries in the past on English soil, will be crucial for the Indian team, wich has entered transitional phase post Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and R Ashwin's retirements.
India Today
24-05-2025
- Sport
- India Today
India Test Squad Announcement For England Live: Will Arshdeep Singh earn a Test call up?
Arshdeep Singh has proven his worth as a seam bowler time and again, especially in the T20Is with his ability to swing the new ball. The left-arm seamer can prove to be a great option in the swinging conditions of England. Arshdeep also has experience of playing county cricket in England for Kent, which can come in handy in the upcoming series. In the ongoing Indian Premier League 2025 (IPL 2025), Arshdeep has scalped 16 wickets from 11 innings. Gill has also shown signs of enjoying that pressure, albeit in the Indian Premier League. After a tough maiden season as captain of Gujarat Titans in 2024, he appears to be back at his best - both as a batter and a leader - in IPL 2025. He has led Gujarat Titans into the playoffs and they're sitting on the top of the points table with 18 points from 13 matches. "A lot is being said about Shubman Gill, but he is yet to score big runs. In England, Australia, South Africa - he has never scored. That means you're thrusting everything on him. Let Shubman Gill establish himself in Test cricket. He is a king in home conditions," Kris Srikkanth told India Today. There are doubts of Mohammed Shami's preparedness for Test cricket as the bowler isn't at his 100% yet when it comes to bowling long spells in the longest format. Hence, the speedster is likely to miss out on selection for the upcoming tour. Shami has played nine matches for SRH, in the ongoing IPL 2025 and has picked just six wickets at an average of 56.16 and economy rate of 11.23. Without the services of Rohit and Virat, India will have very few senior members. Jasprit Bumrah, KL Rahul, and Ravindra Jadeja will be three main pillars of the team as India begin their journey in the World Test Championship Cycle 2025-27. The competition for the spots are expected to heat up as the India A squad will be starting the England tour, containing some of the possible candidates. The likes of Karun Nair, Ishan Kishan and others will be making a strong case during the two matches against the England Lions at Canterbury and Northampton before facing the senior India men's team in the final fixture. The England tour will be the start of the new World Test Championship cycle for India as they start life without some of their veteran stars. With the likes of R Ashwin, Rohit and Virat Kohli announcing their retirement from the team, a few spots in the playing XI has opened up. India have been on the look out for a new Test captain after Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from the format earlier in May. Since then, many have been named as potential candidates for the role, with the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant. The new India Test captain and the squad for the England tour will likely be announced on Saturday, May 24, India Today has learnt. The announcements could be made after the selection meeting on Saturday with a press conference expected as well. The announcements will likely be made around 12 pm.
