Author: Trisha Ghosal

By Trisha Ghosal in Manchester In Test cricket, pressure exposes character. And in Manchester, with the series on the line and Jasprit Bumrah struggling, Shubman Gill wasn’t just out-thought — he was outmanoeuvred. There was no spark, no urgency, no coherent plan. Just a young captain watching the game drift from slip while England seized control. India now face a grim scenario. England lead by 186 runs with three wickets still in hand. But the real concern isn’t the scoreboard — it’s Gill’s worrying inaction at a moment that demanded leadership. No Plans, No Pressure, No Response When Zak Crawley…

Trisha Ghosal in Manchester After another day of English dominance, this time fuelled by Joe Root’s sublime 150 and a controlled innings from Ollie Pope himself. England look poised to push India out of the series. Pope faced the media with calm clarity, praising teammates, admitting physical tolls, and most crucially, reflecting on how this team is evolving. Bazball 2.0? Pope Says Brains Now Lead the Baz “We’ve had to play with our brains to get to 2-1,” Pope said. “Had we not, we wouldn’t be here.” While Bazball is still in the DNA, Pope pointed out how tactical shifts…

Trisha Ghosal in Manchester India were batted out of the contest and possibly the series after England crossed 500, handing the visitors a bruising day in the field. Bowling coach Morne Morkel faced the media post-play and tried to explain a number of contentious decisions and performances. Why Was Washington Sundar Used So Late? Morkel admitted the call was tactical. “Shubman (Gill) made the call to stick longer with the seamers,” he said. “Washie did a great job when he came on, but we didn’t bowl enough good balls early to justify spin.” Why Is Kuldeep Yadav Still Benched? A…

By Trisha Ghosal in Manchester India finally found some answers with the ball after a wicketless morning, but the narrative of Day 3’s second session was still largely written in England ink and Joe Root’s elegant hand. It took 69 overs for Washington Sundar to be introduced, but after lunch, skipper Shubman Gill began with both his spinners — Washington and Ravindra Jadeja — and was rewarded instantly. Washington didn’t take long to make his mark. The ball that got Ollie Pope was a classic: tossed up, drifting away from the right-hander, curving mid-air, and then skidding off the pitch.…

Trisha Ghosal in Manchester In a five-match series as closely contested as this, it’s often the smallest margins that tilt the scales. And one of the biggest gaps between India and England hasn’t been in the top order but right at the bottom. India’s tail, wickets 8 to 11, has contributed just 181 runs in six innings across the series so far. That’s an average of 30.17 per innings, with eight ducks. In contrast, England’s last four have added 278 runs in five innings, averaging 55.60, with only four ducks. The difference in output from the tail isn’t just numerical,…

Trisha Ghosal in Manchester Crawley finds calm in chaos. Finally playing “on instinct” Zak Crawley may have missed out on a hundred, but he didn’t miss the bigger win: control. “I wasn’t premeditating, I was just reacting. I’ve always felt I can hit good balls for four and I let that come out today,” he said after his 84 that set the tone for England’s dominance. He revealed he started working on feeling relaxed a couple of days ago: “Just small things like walking slower, removing tension. I felt sharp today unlike Edgbaston, where I was absolutely knackered.” Does the…

Trisha Ghosal in Manchester Why isn’t Shardul bowling more? As England’s openers raced to 166, India’s most experienced seam-bowling all-rounder watched much of it from the outfield. Shardul Thakur bowled just five overs all day and this after being underused in the first Test as well. Asked about it, he said: “The captain takes the calls. Usually, the player doesn’t have much say. There’s still time left — three more days in the game. I hope I get more overs.” Rhythm, he admitted, has been difficult to find. “You never know when you’ll bowl. But I’ll try to use whatever…

By Trisha Ghosal in Manchester India began the second session at 321 for 6 with a fair chance of pushing past 400. But that ambition was quickly shut down by Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer, whose relentless pace and precision flipped the script. The England captain set the tone with two wickets in a single over — removing Washington Sundar and Anshul Kamboj — before sealing his first five-wicket haul in eight years. Stokes once again used the short ball to devastating effect. The dismissal of Washington was almost a carbon copy of Sai Sudharsan’s from the evening before. Banged…

By Trisha Ghosal in Manchester We’ve all seen Rishabh Pant the entertainer. The daredevil. The audacious shot-maker who danced down to James Anderson and reverse-swept him like it was street cricket. We’ve called him fearless, gutsy, mad, and yes — at times, even reckless. That’s just the price Pant pays for batting like only he can. But the man we saw today at Old Trafford… was something else entirely. This wasn’t about flair. This wasn’t about sixes. This was about soul. He walked out in pain — real, visible pain. A fractured toe that should’ve ruled him out for six…

Trisha Ghosal in Manchester The murmurs started almost instantly. Why did he need to play that shot? Was it necessary? Couldn’t Pant have just settled in? It was a full ball from Chris Woakes, angling in. Rishabh Pant tried to reverse sweep it — his body weight falling across, his usual flair on display. But this time, it went horribly wrong. The ball slammed into his foot. He was in visible agony, unable to stand. Moments later, he was being driven off the field, India suddenly in damage-control mode. But to question why he played that shot is to question…