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In difficult batting conditions, with his team in a hole, KL Rahul held the fort from No. 6 – once again succeeding in a new role, something he’s done across formats

Sidharth Monga26-Dec-2023A Star Sports teaser for an interview with KL Rahul, aired during the Boxing Day lunch break, caught the eye as much as the hectic on-field action on a pitch loaded heavily in the favour of the fast bowlers. In the teaser, Rahul seemed to be talking of the mental and emotional toll criticism has taken on him over the years. He seemed to be talking calmly but what he said still sounded raw. “I couldn’t get out of my own head,” he said at one point.Only once the entire interview is aired will it be know if Rahul was talking about criticism from experts or online abuse. Either way, we sometimes assume too readily that professional cricketers are all trained to effectively block out unnecessary noise. Some of them cannot block it out, even when it is not well-informed and rigorous criticism.Besides, batting is such a capricious activity, it hardly needs outside help to drive its practitioners up the wall. Especially in conditions in which Rahul has often played Test cricket. While his average of 33 in 47 Tests (not counting this one) attracts raised eyebrows, the openers in Tests involving Rahul have averaged only 31. He spent two years out starting in 2019, and his stellar comeback in 2021 lasted all of 11 Tests, which included two superlative series in England and South Africa.Related

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The ups and downs of batting were on full display on day one of a yet another Rahul comeback. Rohit Sharma kept out good lengths before he found the one man in the deep with his favourite shot, the pull. He had middled the shot. Had it actually bounced higher – and thus been tougher to negotiate in theory – it would have cleared the fielder. Shubman Gill gloved one down the leg side even as the inexperienced South Africa struggled to find the full length.When Shreyas Iyer and Virat Kohli counterattacked, they enjoyed luck through dropped chances but both got unplayable deliveries from a fired-up Kagiso Rabada, who has single-handedly kept South Africa in the contest. Despite occasional luck on an otherwise unlucky day – lost toss, unexpected movement both horizontally and vertically, the nature of the dismissals – India found themselves at 107 for 5, soon to be 121 for 6.What a day then for Rahul to extend the batting line-up by agreeing to and wanting to keep wicket in Rishabh Pant’s absence. He has done this only once before in his first-class career. The physical toll it takes on someone not used to that kind of workload is immense, but Rahul would rather the physical toll than the mental one of sitting out. Team managements have also tried their best to have him on the park because he is too good to not be so.

Carrying out a craft whose practitioners tend to compulsively hang on to routines and batting positions, Rahul has now been successful in two completely different roles in all three formats. He is, quite simply, India’s most versatile batter of his time.

At the risk of indulging in some pop psychology, this scenario seems to be the perfect place for Rahul to be. It is clear by now that he is good enough to approach batting in many different ways and in all formats, which can sometimes give him too many options when he is beginning on a clean slate, when he has to set the tone at the top of the order. In the middle order, he has to purely react to situations. Even if you zoom out a little, when he has no choice but to do something specific to be in the side, that seems to work out better for him as we have seen in the shift to the middle order in the ODIs.Today, reacting purely to the uneven bounce, the sideways movement and the match situation, Rahul probably made one out and out mistake in a 105-ball stay for an unbeaten 70. Early on in his innings, he reacted instinctively to extra bounce and tried to hook from well outside off, and missed by a mile. After that, he did play and miss – it is impossible not to do so in these conditions – but hardly made any judgement errors.Immediately after that failed hook, he was presented another lifter. This one, though, was at his body and not as high. He still backed his shot given the ball was in the right area, and kept it down beautifully.The way South Africa were bowling, the first session was mostly about surviving Rabada and the debutant Nandre Burger. The others provided scoring opportunities too regularly. India were unlucky they couldn’t see off Rabada’s spell post-lunch without damage, but Rahul made sure he kept South Africa’s inexperienced support cast under pressure.Gloves or no gloves? KL Rahul’s happy either way•ICC/Getty ImagesRahul managed to hit a boundary every nine balls, and offered false response every 4.77 balls on a day that errors were committed every 3.64 balls overall. Batting with the lower order only freed him up more. The pitch anyway called for an attacking approach because pure survival was not easy.”He did what he does actually,” India’s batting coach Vikram Rathour said after the day’s play. “He is turning out to be the man for crises for us. Every time there are tough situations, most of the times he’s there. He’s the guy who handles those situations very well.”India were quietly confident Rahul had carried them to a good total for the conditions. If he somehow manages to add 30 to his overnight score, Rahul will have scored a staggering six out of eight centuries outside Asia. He is a man who scored a 14-ball half-century when opening in T20s, and also had arguably his best IPL season batting in the middle order. He has bossed ODIs both as an opener and as a wicketkeeper-batter in the middle order. In different kinds of difficult conditions, he had waited 108 balls for his first boundary in England and today hit 12 boundaries in 105 balls.Carrying out a craft whose practitioners tend to compulsively hang on to routines and batting positions, Rahul has now been successful in two completely different roles in all three formats. He is, quite simply, India’s most versatile batter of his time. He just needs to do it for long enough now. At 31, he has the time on his side.

A recap of what’s happened with the pink ball at the Gabba, and someone overall numbers for Australia in day-night Tests

Andrew McGlashan24-Jan-2024

vs Pakistan, 2016-17

Asad Shafiq almost pulled off a miracle for Pakistan, getting them to within 40 of what would have been a world-record chase. Adding 71 with Yasir Shah into the final afternoon, Australia were getting nervous before a brute of a delivery from Mitchell Starc removed Shafiq for a brilliant 137.For the majority of the game, it never looked like being so close. Australia were in the early stages of rebuilding their batting order after the series loss to South Africa a few weeks earlier. Peter Handscomb had scored a maiden Test century in a stand of 172 with Steven Smith, while fellow newcomer Matt Renshaw made 71.In reply, Pakistan were blown away under lights on the second evening as Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Jackson Bird wreaked havoc. Hazlewood was on a hat-trick when he removed Babar Azam and Younis Khan.After opting not to enforce the follow-on Australia quickly built their lead before leaving a target of 490. There was more top-order resistance this time, but at 220 for 6 a comfortable victory was on the cards, particularly with another night session to come. That wasn’t how it worked out.

vs Sri Lanka, 2018-19

Pat Cummins and Jhye Richardson enjoyed themselves against Sri Lanka five years ago•Getty ImagesDespite Australia coming off a series defeat to India, Sri Lanka were predictably overwhelmed by their pace attack. Pat Cummins led the way with what remains his career-best match figures while Jhye Richardson made a mark on his Test debut.It was Nathan Lyon who claimed the first wicket of the Test, but from then on it was the home side’s quicks who got to work. Sri Lanka were bundled out in little more than two sessions on the opening day, although Australia didn’t initially have it all their own way with the bat.Early on the second day they were 82 for 4 before Marnus Labuschagne and Travis Head – at the time junior members of the team – added 166 for the fifth wicket.Cummins struck with the final ball of the second day and Australia did not even need the assistance from the night-time session to complete victory with Cummins taking the first four wickets of the innings.

Key stats

All of Australia’s bowlers have formidable records with the pink ball, led by Starc in terms of the wicket tally.Australia have never lost a day-night Test with their batters finding a way to score enough runs, and sometimes filling their boots. Labuschagne and Head have been particularly profitable.Although the sample size is small with just the two matches, the third session of the day has the lowest bowling average in day-night Tests at the Gabba. In Adelaide, which has hosted seven day-night Tests, it’s the first session of the day.

The Victoria batter would have been the first choice as a Test opener but his continuing concussion issues have taken him out of the reckoning

Ian Chappell18-May-2024Australian cricket has a serious Will Pucovski issue at the precise time they are desperate to unearth skilful openers competing for a Test spot.Pucovski is comfortably the most talented potential Australian opener but he’s suffering a major health issue. He has endured an alarming number of concussions – many in the cricket arena – but his latest one raises an even more disturbing element.In a Sheffield Shield match Pucovski turned his head and ducked into a Riley Meredith short ball to collect his latest concussion. It was bad enough that the blow added to his double-digit concussion bouts but the method he employed displayed poor technique.Even though weeks have elapsed since his latest concussion he’s still suffering symptoms. Recent disturbing news says he hasn’t yet been cleared for inclusion in the Victorian contract list. His contract status now depends on a medical panel review which includes independent expertise. This follows Pucovski’s withdrawal from a county stint with Leicestershire because of the latest blow sustained in the Sheffield Shield competition.Related

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There’s no doubt his regular concussions are disturbing but even more concerning is his mental health.If Pucovski were healthy he’d be ensconced as an Australian Test opener. However he’s only represented Australia once, against India in a 2021 Test.If he plays again it would be an extremely audacious selector who chose Pucovski in the Test side. If he were prematurely included in a Test XI and then suffered another serious blow the selectors would receive some of the blame. Consequently there’s a major dilemma involved in choosing a fragile player in the Test side.Then there’s the matter of whether Pucovski would make himself available for Test selection. It’s not just the health issue he has to conquer; his technique against the short ball is sub-standard and that problem needs to be resolved. Fixing what is a mountainous shortcoming will take a lot of hard work.

Short-ball problems have dogged Pucovski but they are more relevant now Australian opener David Warner has retired from Test cricket. Raising the stakes even further, another Australian opener, Usman Khawaja, is at the tail end of his career

Not that you could blame them but if he plays again, fast bowlers will bowl short at Pucovski because they know he has an issue with that delivery. No bowler aims to deliberately hurt a player but when they are performing for their living they have to give themselves the best chance of success.Realistically, Pucovski should play a full season of Shield games without suffering concussion before he’s considered for Test selection. If he were able to achieve that feat it would be reasonable to assume he’d done the required hard work to reduce any danger he faces from bouncer issues.Short-ball problems have dogged Pucovski but they are more relevant now Australian opener David Warner has retired from Test cricket. Raising the stakes even further, another Australian opener, Usman Khawaja, is at the tail end of his career. The situation is complicated enough but there’s also a shortage of talented openers in the Shield competition and a healthy Pucovski would be the ideal candidate.Of the current potential openers Cameron Bancroft, Marcus Harris and Matthew Renshaw, the latter is the only player on the right side of 30.Controversially the selectors promoted Steve Smith, a substantial figure at No. 4, to open following his request to take on the task. Despite the move, which accommodated two allrounders in Cameron Green and Mitchell Marsh in the Australian Test XI, Smith is far better suited to No. 4.Pucovski’s absence also comes at a time when Australia are endowed with a strong bowling attack. Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood have formed a formidable pace triumvirate for a lengthy time and they are ably backed by the reliable Nathan Lyon.This talented quartet ensures that Australia rarely chases large totals but they won’t play forever, so a stable opening partnership is imperative.Pucovski’s presence at the top of the order would’ve been an important element to Australia’s future success. Now, instead of being a steady Test performer, the main consideration is ensuring Pucovski returns to good health.

It is rare for teams to pair left-arm spinners together, but West Indies look set to stick with them in pursuit of a third T20 World Cup

Matt Roller18-Jun-20243:29

Bishop: Confidence the key for West Indies at the business end

Their great Test teams were built around fast bowlers, but West Indies have a proud history of spin-bowling partnerships: Sonny Ramadhin and Alf Valentine were immortalised by Lord Beginner’s calypso; Lance Gibbs would bowl offspin at one end while Garry Sobers bowled his left-arm variations from the other; and more recently, West Indies’ T20 World Cup successes were built around a pair of spinners too.Samuel Badree was the constant – bowling his flat, fast wristspin in the powerplay. In 2012, Sunil Narine would take over from him through the middle overs; four years later, with Narine still sorting out his bowling action, the towering left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn took over and bowled containing spells through the middle, finishing the tournament with an economy rate below seven.Related

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And when West Indies had faced England last December, they landed on another such pair: selecting Guyana’s Gudakesh Motie to play alongside Trinidad and Tobago’s Akeal Hosein. Both are left-arm fingerspinners, but are very different bowlers with complementary strengths. They have played 11 matches together since, taking 35 wickets at 15.57 between them, 16 of which came in their group stages of this World Cup.The formula is simple: Hosein takes the new ball and often bowls three of the first five overs. He flights some balls but also relies heavily on his arm ball, which drifts sharply into the right-handers. “He’s a very, very integral part [of the side], especially for controlling the powerplay for us,” Rovman Powell, West Indies’ captain, said.When the field spreads, Powell brings Motie on and empowers him to flight the ball, varying his pace and looking to spin the ball hard. “Right as we come out of the powerplay is Gudakesh Motie time,” Powell said. “It’s like Akeal Hosein passing the baton onto Gudakesh Motie, and it’s been very good so far.”West Indies geared their selection to conditions, knowing that their pitches can play slow and low, and may turn more as the World Cup wears on. “We’ve been playing our entire career on these pitches: we’re not surprised when it’s slow, it’s low and it’s low-scoring,” Nicholas Pooran said. “The reason why most of our averages are 20-25 is because we bat on pitches like this.”

“[It’s been] pleasantly pleasing to me to see how [the] same type of bowlers – two left-arm spinners turning the ball in the same direction – have complemented each other so well. That’s something that is new to me”Ian Bishop to ESPNcricinfo

In St Lucia, where West Indies face England on Wednesday night, conditions have been much more favourable for batters: against Afghanistan on Monday, Pooran hit 98 in a team total of 218, the highest score of the T20 World Cup so far. But with England likely to field a batting line-up filled with right-handers, Hosein and Motie should still play a role.In terms of average and economy rate, they were West Indies’ best bowlers in their 3-2 series win against England in December too, and Powell said they would “definitely” match-up well against England’s batters in a few days’ time: “When we pick the two left-arm spinners, we know that in West Indies conditions, whether the wickets are good or the wickets are bad, they’re going to be a handful because they’re world-class.”Hosein has reached an intriguing stage where he has played enough T20 cricket around the world – over 150 matches in his career, one-third of which have come in the last 12 months – that his arm ball no longer takes teams by surprise. Batters know the cues: he tends to bowl it from significantly wider on the crease, and with a slightly lower trajectory.”[It’s been] pleasantly pleasing to me to see how [the] same type of bowlers, two left-arm spinners turning the ball in the same direction – although Akeal Hosein has the arm ball – have complemented each other so well,” Ian Bishop said on ESPNcricinfo’s TimeOut show. “That’s something that is new to me.”They’ve got Roston Chase there [as well] as the option to turn the ball the other way. Ideally, in a perfect world, they’d like a wristspinner. They don’t have that, so they’ve gone with the two left-arm spinners. I wouldn’t mind seeing them change it up though at some point, because teams are planning for Akeal Hosein in that powerplay.”1:37

Ganga: Hosein and Motie are two ‘very different bowlers’

England are well aware of Hosein and Motie’s strengths, to the extent that they chose an uncapped slow left-armer in Tom Hartley as their back-up spinner ahead of Rehan Ahmed’s legspin following December’s tour. “There’s no question both teams know a lot about each other,” Sam Curran said. “The two spinners are probably one of their strengths.”Phil Salt and Jos Buttler, England’s openers, both have good head-to-head records against Hosein, and Salt in particular has made huge strides since he was dismissed by left-arm spin five times in six innings on a tour to Bangladesh last March. Salt has become much more confident playing through the off side, and scored two hundreds against West Indies in December.Motie is more of an unknown for England, though. He has an extensive first-class record but is relatively new to T20 cricket, only making his debut in the format in 2021, aged 26. He has never played in a franchise league outside of the CPL, where none of this England squad feature regularly, and only played against them during the December tour.Motie is short, and has a low release point, but puts significant overspin on the ball, meaning some balls are quick and skiddy, while others turn sharply off the pitch. In the group stages, he bowled arguably the ball of the tournament to date, which drifted into Daryl Mitchell from a wide angle at 62mph/99kph, before turning sharply to hit the off bail.It is rare for teams to pair left-arm spinners together in modern T20 cricket, but West Indies believe they have found a winning formula and look set to stick with it in pursuit of an unprecedented third men’s T20 World Cup. If they achieve it, it might even be enough for Hosein and Motie’s names to feature in a calypso.

The game is moving from the Captain Roop Singh Stadium, the site of many memorable matches, to the shiny new Shrimant Madhavrao Scindia Cricket Stadium

Daya Sagar05-Oct-2024When an international cricket match was last held in Gwalior, Sachin Tendulkar scored the first double-century in men’s ODIs. Fourteen years after that historic game, international cricket is set to return to the Madhya Pradesh city.However, cricket is not back at the historic Captain Roop Singh Stadium but at the newly built Shrimant Madhavrao Scindia Cricket Stadium, where the first T20I between India and Bangladesh will be played on Sunday. The Captain Roop Singh Stadium, though, is inextricably linked to cricket in the city.When you arrive at the old stadium, located near the railway station in the heart of the city, it feels like you have arrived at a single-screen cinema hall in a small town. Built in the shape of a hexagon, it doesn’t look like a cricket stadium from the outside. There are no cricket-related hoardings, no floodlight towers visible from a distance.Related

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Once inside, there is a gallery that leads you past some offices and the scorecard featuring the details of Tendulkar’s historic knock. With the exception of some VVIP seats towards the pavilion end, all the seats – the stadium has a capacity of around 20,000 – are in the form of cement steps. At both ends stand small floodlights, erected in the lead-up to the 1996 World Cup.Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association (MPCA) scorer Sunil Gupta’s eyes light up as he recalls Tendulkar’s double-century. According to him, it feels like yesterday, when Tendulkar played Charl Langeveldt past point and achieved an “impossible historical feat”.”We couldn’t believe we had seen something that was almost impossible in one-day cricket at that time,” Gupta says. “This match was accidentally moved from Kanpur to Gwalior 20 days earlier. Our pitch and ground were ready, but international cricket requires a lot more preparation. Our association completed these preparations in a very short time and what happened after that, the whole world knows it now.”Gupta, who is a believer in destiny, says, “That is why it has been said that on every grain is written the name of the one who eats it. We were destined to watch the double-century of [God] and when he waved his helmet and bat in the air, many people, including me, had tears in their eyes. These were tears of joy.”The entrance to the Captain Roop Singh Stadium in Gwalior•Daya Sagar/ESPNcricinfoThe stadium has played host to many other memorable ODIs too, including the India-West Indies match in the 1996 World Cup, the fourth India-Pakistan ODI in 2007, India’s win against Australia in the TVS Cup months after their 2003 World Cup final defeat to the same opposition, Kenya’s first win over India in an international match, and two ODIs against England in 1993 on consecutive days. The 1997 Ranji Trophy final was also held in this stadium, the only day-night Ranji Trophy final till date.”At times, this stadium has come in handy for the BCCI during crises,” Gupta says. “When the first India-England ODI was cancelled in Ahmedabad due to riots in 1993, two ODIs were held on this ground on two consecutive days. This is the only ground in the India where ODI matches have been held on consecutive days.”Apart from this, in 2010, when the preparations were not deemed to be complete in Kanpur, we were given an ODI match in a hurry. At the same time, when we did not have that much funds for the 1996 World Cup, we made smaller floodlights on three stands instead of four, so that day-night matches could be organised.”The stadium once hosted ODIs regularly, with a match every two or three years in the 1990s and 2000s. But as the facilities became dated, this stadium, which has hosted 12 ODIs, gradually faded into the background.The stadium belongs to the Gwalior Municipal Corporation, and was leased by the Gwalior Division Cricket Association (GDCA) for 25 years; the lease ends in 2025. So the MPCA decided to build its own stadium in Gwalior. Named after former BCCI president Madhavrao Scindia, plans for the new stadium were laid out in 2011 and it was completed in 2024 and inaugurated by BCCI secretary Jay Shah and former India captain Kapil Dev.Gwalior scorer Sunil Gupta with the scorecard from Sachin Tendulkar’s ODI double-century•Daya Sagar/ESPNcricinfoLocated on the outskirts of Gwalior, on around 30 acres of land near the Mumbai-Agra highway bypass, surrounded by the hills of Chambal, the new stadium has all the modern frills: towering floodlights, the latest drainage system, indoor-training facilities, plush dressing rooms, a separate practice ground, nine cricket pitches, a gym equipped with new machines, a TV broadcast control room, a closed and air-conditioned media centre, and PVC seats for spectators.But like the new stadium in Mullanpur in Punjab, the stadium is still open, with canopies for the stands to be installed only later. At present, the capacity is 30,000, with an increase to 50,000 planned by the MPCA. This is why there are exposed pillars on both sides of the square boundary – to allow for another round of construction later on.India vs Bangladesh will be the first top-level match at this stadium – not a single domestic match has been held here yet. In June this year, however, the Madhya Pradesh Premier League was held here and, in a total of 12 matches, a lot of runs were scored.How many runs are scored on Sunday remain to be seen, but off the field security will be tight. Prohibitory orders – aka Section 163 – have been imposed in the city, which means that more than five people cannot gather and hold any demonstration. The orders were passed after right-wing organisations called for a boycott of this match in the wake of media reports of violence on Hindus in Bangladesh. There had been similar calls for a boycott of the Kanpur Test.The effects of these developments are visible in the preparations for the match. The road to the stadium, which is located around 8km from the city, has already been blocked by a barricade at about the 4km mark, with only those working inside the stadium and the media allowed access to the stadium. Section 163 will remain in place even after the end of the match, until October 7, when both teams leave for Delhi for the second match of the series.For now, though, Gupta is happy that the cricket is back, after a 14-year “exile” from his city. He is ready to score another historic match in the annals of Gwalior cricket.

The Ranji season resumes for two more league games after a break for the white-ball tournaments, and it’s going to be a star-studded show

Shashank Kishore21-Jan-2025Virat Kohli was barely a few months into his role as full-time Test captain when Rohit Sharma last featured in the Ranji Trophy, in November 2015. And when Kohli last played in India’s premier first-class competition, in November 2012, Sachin Tendulkar was India’s Test No. 4, and MS Dhoni the India captain. Both Tendulkar and Dhoni have now been retired for over a decade.Kohli and Rohit, on the other hand, are now both at a crossroads as far as their Test careers go, and with the tour of England coming up in the summer, the two of them are among some of India’s top players returning to the Ranji Trophy that resumes following a mid-season break for the white-ball competitions. Here is a primer to bring you up to speed ahead of the sixth round of matches beginning January 23.

Is Virat Kohli really in line for a Ranji return?

Kohli won’t be part of the upcoming round due to neck spasms. However, he is believed to have communicated his availability to the Delhi selectors for the final round of the league phase starting January 30, when Delhi play Railways at home.If he does make a Ranji return, Kohli will have four days to move from first-class cricket to the first ODI at home against England, with the series assuming great significance as it is India’s final ODI engagement ahead of the Champions Trophy.Kohli or not, Delhi have Rishabh PantDelhi will have the services of Rishabh Pant in what is a must-win game for both Delhi and Saurashtra, starting January 23 in Rajkot.Pant will, however, not captain the side as Delhi are keen on ensuring continuity in that regard. The squad will be led by Ayush Badoni, who will play under Pant’s captaincy at Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at IPL 2025.This will be Pant’s first Ranji outing since December 2017. He will line-up against Cheteshwar Pujara and Ravindra Jadeja in the opposition on what is expected to be a turning Rajkot deck, with voices within the Saurashtra team management saying that’s their best chance of forcing an outright result, which they desperately need to make a last-ditch effort to reach the knockouts.Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rohit Sharma are both in the mix for Mumbai’s next match•BCCI

Will Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal open together?

Mumbai vs Jammu & Kashmir at the BKC Ground should get plenty of attention. Mumbai, the defending champions, are very much in the hunt for a top-two spot in Group A, and will have in their line-up Rohit and Yashasvi Jaiswal – who could open the batting together – as well as Shreyas Iyer, Ajinkya Rahane, Shardul Thakur and Shivam Dube. The big absentee from this game is Sarfaraz Khan, who is recovering from a rib injury, while his younger brother Musheer Khan too isn’t ready yet as he rehabs for a neck injury sustained in a road accident last year.Rohit and Jaiswal’s pairing at the top, if it happens, means Mumbai will find it incredibly hard to fit the in-form opener Ayush Mhatre, who has had a sensational initiation into top-flight cricket in 2024. Mhatre, who was part of India Under-19 at the Asia Cup, has already hit two first-class centuries in six matches. He also hit two hundreds in seven games for Mumbai in his maiden List A season that finished with the Vijay Hazare Trophy last week.While Mhatre is still part of the squad, there is no space for another youngster Mumbai have punted on to deliver – 20-year-old Angkrish Raghuvanshi, who was one of the emerging stars for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) during their title-winning run in the IPL last year.

Shubman Gill will face Karnataka

The other game to follow is Karnataka vs Punjab at M Chinnaswamy Stadium. Shubman Gill, recently elevated as India’s ODI vice-captain, will play for Punjab after enduring a tough tour of Australia, where he featured in only three of the five Tests; he was injured for the series opener in Perth and was left out of the Boxing Day Test owing to team combination. In five innings, Gill tallied 93 runs at 18.60.Shubman Gill had a poor tour of Australia•Getty ImagesHis return to the domestic set-up comes at a time when his numbers outside Asia since June 2021 – he averages 17.64 in 18 innings – have come in for sharp scrutiny. His presence will, however, bolster a line-up that will be without Abhishek Sharma and Arshdeep Singh, with both part of India’s T20I squad for the England series starting on Wednesday.Karnataka, winners of the Vijay Hazare Trophy, will welcome the return of Prasidh Krishna and Devdutt Padikkal to the XI as they look to win their two remaining games to try and qualify for the knockouts. KL Rahul has informed the KSCA of his unavailability to nurse an elbow niggle ahead of the England ODIs and the Champions Trophy.

What are the injury updates?

Fast bowler Akash Deep and opener Abhimanyu Easwaran won’t be playing for Bengal to nurse injuries that will need monitoring from the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence. Akash Deep is out with a back niggle that also forced him out of contention for the Sydney Test earlier this month. Abhimanyu, who didn’t get a game on tour, is believed to have fractured his middle finger on the right hand while playing a club fixture in the lead-up to the Ranji games. He will likely be out of action for three weeks.Meanwhile, Mohammed Siraj isn’t part of Hyderabad’s squad as he has been asked to rest by the national team management as part of his workload management. Siraj played all five Tests in Australia, but has been left out of India’s ODI squads for the England series and the Champions Trophy.

Who are the other players to watch out for?

Karun Nair is on a dream run, having finished the Vijay Hazare Trophy with five hundreds and 772 runs. With Vidarbha all but through to the Ranji knockouts, he’ll have two league games and a maximum of three more games to try and get a place in the Test middle-order with the England tour coming up.

The Australian retired from ODI cricket after producing several moments of brilliance

Alex Malcolm02-Jun-2025How do you sum up Glenn Maxwell’s ODI career? Mercurial, magnificent, marauding, mind-blowing, maligned, and maddening, perhaps.But even those words feel like they barely scratch the surface.The numbers don’t sum it up either. His 149 games across 13 years seem an oddly low number. His 3990 runs at 33.81 places him jarringly between Geoff Marsh and Mark Taylor at 19th on Australia’s all-time ODI run-scoring list.He took fewer ODI wickets than two other batting allrounders in Steve and Mark Waugh, who turned 60 on the day of his retirement.Maxwell’s ODI legacy can’t be measured in totality. A Statsguru search for the greatest ODI players by conventional metrics won’t spit out Maxwell’s name anywhere near the top except, significantly, for his strike-rate.Highest strike rates in men’s ODIs•ESPNcricinfo LtdIt’ll be measured by the moments of sheer jaw-dropping brilliance that he produced more often than he’s given credit for.Mumbai 2023 was his masterpiece. No matter how many times you look at the scorecard, it will never make sense. But again, the numbers aren’t the story.Watching it live it made no sense. Re-living it on replay, it still makes no sense. The entire innings – 201 not out off 128 – was preposterous from start to finish for myriad reasons. He did something that simply no other player could do.But to suggest that was his one great high in an ODI career that featured plenty of lows would be unfair. He was often maligned for his inconsistencies and there is a perception that Maxwell would go missing in key moments.His record suggests otherwise. The key moments when Australia were in the most trouble was when Maxwell often shone brightest. Mumbai is the greatest example. Manchester is another. In a long-forgotten ODI series played in a bio-bubble in front of empty stands, Maxwell and Alex Carey made centuries as Australia chased 303 for a series victory against the defending ODI World Champions having been 73 for 5.Maxwell’s double-hundred in the World Cup 2023 was an innings for the ages•ICC via Getty ImagesMaxwell’s successful chasing habits started early. In just his fourth ODI he made an unbeaten 56 from 38 balls to guide Australia through a tricky pursuit against Pakistan. His unbeaten 44 in the face off in the 2015 World Cup quarter-final is often forgotten behind Steven Smith and Shane Watson’s tussle with Wahab Riaz, but it was no less critical.In 2016 he made 96 off 83 against India as Australia chased 296 with three wickets to spare. Just 17 months before his Mumbai masterpiece he pulled off a stunning chase in Pallekele against Sri Lanka with a mind-bending 80 not out off 51 balls, adding 54 with No. 9 Ashton Agar and No. 10 Jhye Richardson who contributed just four runs between them, to win with two wickets in hand and nine balls to spare. Overall in the ODI World Cup, he averaged 47.42 with a strike-rate of 160.32.As recently as his penultimate ODI innings, at the Champions Trophy earlier this year, he walked out with Australia needing 70 off 50 balls chasing 352 against England and smashed 32 not out off 15 to end the game alongside Josh Inglis with 15 balls unused.Glenn Maxwell averaged 47.42 with a strike rate of 160.32 in World Cup cricket•AFP/Getty ImagesHis ability to translate T20 batting into ODI cricket is unparalleled. In 34 successful ODI chases, Maxwell averaged 56.40 at a strike-rate of 127.89. The list of ODI players who average 50 or more in winning chases striking at 90 or more is illustrious, and Maxwell sits in the rarest air.Maxwell’s outstanding chasing record is instructive about his mindset. For all the moments you wondered ‘how did he do that’, there were just as many thoughts of ‘why did he do that’ when the game was set up for him.Something about chasing near impossible targets simplified the game for him as he explained to ESPNcricinfo last year.”Sometimes the feeling of, oh, there’s no way back that can sort of free you up a bit, so you sort of take the pressure off yourself,” Maxwell said. “It makes it a bit more simple in front of you.”Where sometimes if you’re on top of the game, or level with the game, it can be a bit complicated, where you think we don’t need to go too hard, or we need to only go at four an over and we’re under no pressure. You can be a bit more tentative.”Glenn Maxwell played a huge role as a bowler too in Australia’s World Cup winning campaigns in 2015 and 2023•AFP/Getty ImagesHe thrived in pressure moments with the ball and in the field, too. His bowling record does not leap off the page, but his role in Australia’s two World Cup titles was crucial. In 2015 he played as the lone spinner on home soil and did a sterling job, taking the key wicket of Martin Guptill early in the final after Mitchell Starc had rattled Brendon McCullum’s stumps in the opening over.His wicket in the 2023 final silenced 100,000 people and broke 1.6 billion hearts. With Rohit Sharma flying, Maxwell was asked to bowl the last over of the first powerplay. Rohit clubbed him for six and four off the second and third balls taking his career ODI record against Maxwell to 161 from 127 balls for one dismissal. Maxwell held his nerve, changed the pace and trajectory and forced a mistake to change the complexion of the match.His figures of 1 for 35 from six do not adequately reflect how brilliant that delivery was in that one moment.The rollercoaster of his onfield displays matched the rollercoaster of his life off it. But it is amazing how well he has endured and has kept meeting the moment, despite form slumps, mental health challenges, a broken leg, a golf cart concussion and being hospitalised with severe dehydration at another golf day.He is mercurial in every sense of the word. And he is not done yet. If his ODI record undersells his brilliance, his T20I record emphasises it. Despite another lean IPL ending in injury, you wouldn’t put it past him to produce a special performance at next year’s World Cup.That is the magic of Maxwell. If you can’t handle him at his worst, you don’t deserve him at his best. Not every Australian regime got the best of Maxwell all of the time in ODI cricket, but he produced high points under each of them across a 13-year career.His best will be irreplaceable. That is without question. Seeing it was a privilege, every maddening and magnificent moment of it.

An active Test cricketer choosing T20 franchise over Ashes tour is unprecedented development

Matt Roller01-Sep-2025Has a single training session ever revealed so much about the state of English cricket? England’s preparation for Tuesday’s ODI against South Africa started at 9am in Leeds with one-third of their squad still in London after playing in the Hundred final. Then, two hours later, one of the few players present told the world he was quitting red-ball cricket indefinitely.Harry Brook said he was “a little bit shocked” to learn of Jamie Overton’s decision, barely two months before an Ashes series for which he would very likely have been picked. But a glance around Headingley would have confirmed that things are not what they used to be: cricket’s scheduling has never been perfect, but gaps between series have never been shorter.Brook’s own schedule has been packed enough. Since the start of England’s home summer on May 22, he has played six Tests, six white-ball internationals and nine Hundred games: the tournament itself began just 24 hours after Brook’s involvement in the epic fifth Test against India. His post-match media commitments finished late on Saturday night at The Oval after a washed-out Eliminator; his pre-match press conference for an ODI series barely 36 hours later.It is just another example of a fixture list that is fundamentally flawed, and gives players little chance of performing at their best. “In an ideal world, we’d have liked to meet up yesterday and train yesterday, [then] train today and go into the game as a group,” Brook said. “But nobody is short of cricket, that’s for sure.”South Africa’s own preparation has been slightly smoother, despite the dislocation of a long-haul flight from Cairns last week following their brief tour to Australia. “The first couple of days were about the guys recovering, getting over jetlag,” Temba Bavuma, their captain, said. “We’ve had our practice sessions – gym, on the field – and a bit of leisure for the boys.”Harry Brook and Brendon McCullum have much to ponder ahead of the white-ball series against South Africa•PA Photos/Getty ImagesEven still, there are other “distractions” – as Bavuma put it – lingering in the background. “Guys always have one eye on what is happening in the Hundred, with the final happening yesterday, there’s the auction [next Tuesday] with the SA20… That’s the life of an international cricketer. It’s just part of the package.”Bizarrely, in light of England’s last-minute preparation, South Africa did not consider David Miller for selection since he was playing alongside Brook at Northern Superchargers at the start of their preparation period, though he remains in their longer-term plans. After losing one key pillar of their middle order to the franchise circuit in Heinrich Klaasen, they cannot risk losing another.The ECB’s financial clout has staved off the same threat for a long while, but Overton’s announcement was a landmark moment. A handful of England players have skipped tours to maximise their franchise earnings in the past, but an active Test cricketer effectively opting out of an Ashes tour to play T20 instead is unprecedented.It took Rob Key, England’s managing director, by surprise: he described the news as “unexpected” and “sad to see” while effectively confirming that he would have been named in the squad to tour Australia. “He would have been part of our red-ball plans for the foreseeable future… It serves as a reminder of the cricketing landscape we now operate in.”It is also further confirmation that Key’s grand plan to create a stable of all-format fast bowlers to emulate Australia’s ‘big three’ is a chimera: Mark Wood last played in February, Brydon Carse had to withdraw from the Hundred to manage his body, and Gus Atkinson’s stock as a white-ball bowler has fallen sharply. Remarkably, Jofra Archer has become England’s most durable quick across formats.Related

• Olly Stone joins Middlesex on loan in bid to boost Ashes prospects

• Sam Curran added to England T20I squads as Ben Duckett takes break

• Sonny Baker set for England ODI debut against South Africa

• Miller 'within the mix' in South Africa's ODI plans

• Jamie Overton out of Ashes amid 'indefinite break' from red-ball cricket

Overton can hardly be blamed for his decision. He toiled hard against India at The Oval but his body struggled to cope, and he would likely have carried the drinks in Australia in any case. That would have meant sacrificing the majority of his lucrative Big Bash contract with Adelaide Strikers – and, had he played, risking an injury that could have ruled him out for some time.The pull of the Ashes will remain strong enough for the majority of England players but, at 31, Overton has decided that the potential benefits do not outweigh the drawbacks. He described it as “accepting reality” in a interview; that alone should prompt a minor rejig of England’s contract system, addressing the imbalance between annual retainers and tour fees.Brook is viewing this week’s series as a chance to “create an environment where we’re working towards something” in the same way that Eoin Morgan did before the 2019 World Cup, putting his focus on the same event in 2027. It is an admirable ambition, but the gradual erosion of the relevance of bilateral international series may soon wear them down entirely.It will be easy enough to ignore the warning signs on Tuesday, when two strong sides face off in front of a good crowd at Headingley and the cricket itself takes over. But if England learned anything at all from Monday morning’s thinly-attended training session, it is that they too are vulnerable to the same forces that have already reshaped the rest of the global game.

Brendan Rodgers tendered his resignation from Celtic at the start of last week to end his second spell with the Scottish giants in the dugout at Parkhead.

The Northern Irish head coach opted to move on from the club for a second time after a 3-1 loss to Hearts left the Hoops eight points adrift of first place in the Scottish Premiership table.

Rodgers, as shown in the graphic above, enjoyed a largely successful second spell with the Bhoys, winning four trophies in two seasons, before the disappointing start to the current campaign.

After the ex-Liverpool and Leicester City boss left the Hoops last week, experienced manager Martin O’Neill was placed in interim charge and has managed two matches so far.

A 4-0 win over Falkirk and a 3-1 win over Rangers have shown that the club can afford to take their time to find the right man for the job, as O’Neill is a safe pair of hands for now.

One of the things that the next manager should make a priority when they arrive at Parkhead is reviving Reo Hatate, whose form has dropped off this season.

Why Celtic need to revive Reo Hatate

In the summer of 2024, Celtic reportedly rejected an offer of £10m from an unnamed French club, which shows that they valued him at even more than that at the time.

Then, in the 2024/25 campaign, Hatate stepped up his game to deliver 11 goals and nine assists in 55 appearances in all competitions for the Hoops, per Transfermarkt.

The Japan international scored ten goals and created 14 ‘big chances’ in 37 outings in the Premiership, which shows that he provided regular quality as both a scorer and a creator of goals from a central midfield position.

Unfortunately, the 27-year-old star has endured a frustrating 2025/26 campaign so far, so much so that he has been a substitute in the first two games of O’Neill’s interim tenure.

As you can see in the table above, Hatate’s influence at the top end of the pitch has waned. The midfielder is not as impactful as he was last term for the Hoops, as a scorer or a creator.

The Japanese star, who has one goal and no assists in 15 appearances in all competitions, is capable of far better and that is why the next manager needs to revive his performances as a priority.

Thankfully, for Hatate, there is a manager keen on taking the role who could be the perfect man to revive the central midfielder’s season.

Former Championship manager interested in the Celtic job

According to 67HailHail, former Middlesbrough head coach Michael Carrick has had his name thrown in the ring for the vacant Celtic job.

The report claims that the former Manchester United central midfielder would be interested in replacing Rodgers at Parkhead in the coming weeks, after leaving Boro at the end of last season.

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It states that the English tactician is looking to get back into management again, as he has been without a club so far this season, and the Celtic job is a potential option for him.

However, 67HailHail adds that Carrick does have some reservations about the size of the job and whether he is ready for it at this point in his career, which the site itself suggests may be a red flag.

However, if he is still interested in taking the job, as the report suggests, then the club should consider him as a genuine option, because he could revive Hatate.

Why Michael Carrick would be perfect for Reo Hatate

Carrick could get the Japan international back to his best in the middle of the park for the Scottish giants, and not just because he was a former midfielder for Manchester United and England.

The English boss plays a 4-2-3-1 formation, per Transfermarkt, and could play Hatate in the number ten position to get the best out of his attacking qualities, which were on full display in the 2024/25 campaign.

Carrick’s coaching in the last two seasons with Middlesbrough, before his exit in the summer, suggests that he can coach a team to be incredibly creative with the ball.

As you can see in the table above, Middlesbrough racked up roughly 137 xG in 82 Championship games across the 2023/24 and 2024/25 campaigns, which suggests that Hatate would be in a side that can create plenty of chances for him to start scoring goals again.

Carrick has also shown that he can develop and improve attack-minded midfield players. Finn Azaz, per Transfermarkt, had never managed more than seven goals and five assists in a Championship season before his haul of 12 goals and 11 assists in the division for Carrick’s side last term.

The out-of-work coach, who was hailed as an “insanely talented coach” by former Boro player Lukas Engel, was also named by Morgan Rogers as one of the coaches who helped him to improve as a player.

Rogers is now shining at Aston Villa, with 14 goals and 13 assists last term, and is an England international, which is further evidence that Carrick can help attacking midfielders to thrive.

Therefore, the English head coach could be the perfect appointment to reignite Hatate’s Celtic career because of his formation, his coaching, and his development of attack-minded midfield players.

Rodgers upgrade: Celtic could go far in Europe by hiring "unbeatable" manager

Celtic could upgrade on Brendan Rodgers in a key area by hiring this head coach.

By
Dan Emery

Nov 4, 2025

A left-arm quick, a six hitter who can bat in the top order, and a couple of mystery spinners are all part of our list

Deivarayan Muthu12-Aug-2025The 13th season of the CPL, which will kick off on August 14, will feature a number of T20 stars from the Caribbean as well as from other parts of the world. Here are five CPL rookies who could make a mark in the upcoming season.

Jediah Blades (Guyana Amazon Warriors)

Jediah Blades made his T20I debut recently•Randy Brooks/AFP via Getty ImagesHaving moved on from the likes of Sheldon Cottrell and Obed McCoy, West Indies are trialling Jediah Blades in the left-arm seamer’s role ahead of the 2026 T20 World Cup. Even before he had played in the CPL, Blades, now 23, was fast-tracked into the West Indies side after impressing with the new ball for Guyana Rainforest Rangers in the inaugural West Indies breakout league, a tournament that was held earlier this year to identify emerging talent in the region.After conceding 40 runs in three overs on T20I debut against Australia, Blades bounced back in his second match, trapping Mitchell Marsh lbw with a sharp inswinger with the new ball before dismissing Mitchell Owen and Cooper Connolly with the older one. A good CPL season could potentially put Blades in T20 World Cup contention.

Kofi James (Barbados Royals)

Kofi James isn’t really a rookie – he is 27 and has played 12 CPL games so far – but hasn’t fulfilled his potential yet. Could this be James’ season?He showed attacking enterprise at the top for Leeward Islands Thunder in the breakout league, finishing on top of the runs charts (240 at a strike rate of nearly 158) and on top of the sixes chart with 16. With both Rahkeem Cornwall and Alick Athanaze moving out of Barbados Royals, James could be combined with Quinton de Kock and Brandon King in a new-look top order. James also bowls offspin and can be matched up against left-hand batters.

Usman Tariq (Trinbago Knight Riders)

Usman Tariq has played two seasons of PSL•PCBThe Knight Riders franchise has always been big on mystery spinners across leagues and for this CPL season, they have recruited Usman Tariq, who has had success with Quetta Gladiators in the PSL.Tariq, who is predominantly an offspinner, comes to a near-complete halt as he approaches his delivery stride before firing darts with a slinging, side-arm action. He often slings it in from wide of the crease, making it even more difficult for batters to pick him.The 27-year-old has played ten games in the PSL, taking 12 wickets at an economy rate of 7.64, and the upcoming CPL will be his first stint in a franchise T20 league outside Pakistan.

AM Ghazanfar (Antigua & Barbuda Falcons)

Afghanistan teenager AM Ghazanfar is another mystery spinner who is set for his maiden CPL stint. He impressed Mumbai Indians with his variations during a trial in the UAE and had them forking out INR 4.80 crore (US$ 570,000 approx.) for him during the IPL 2025 auction.Though Ghazanfar missed the IPL with injury, he reminded the world of his mystery in the T20 Blast for Derbyshire, where he took 16 wickets in 14 games at an economy rate of 7.05. It included a mesmerising spell of 4-2-5-2 against Yorkshire at Headingley. Ghazanfar could be just as deadly and unhittable on the spin-friendly surfaces in the Caribbean.However, he might miss the second half of the CPL if he gets picked in Afghanistan’s squad for the Asia Cup starting September 9 in the UAE.

Bevon Jacobs (Antigua & Barbuda Falcons)

Bevon Jacobs has a T20 strike rate of 147.31•BCCIBevon Jacobs is another emerging T20 star who is part of Mumbai Indians in the IPL and MI Emirates in the ILT20 in the UAE. He is now poised to make his CPL debut for Antigua & Barbuda Falcons along with Ghazanfar.At over six feet tall, the New Zealand power-hitter has the height and reach to mess with the lengths of bowlers. He has always been good against pace, and this CPL will be a test of his skills against spin on potentially slow surfaces.New Zealand currently have a settled middle order in T20Is, but success against spin in the Caribbean could prompt the team management to include him as a wildcard for next year’s T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.