Author: Vaibhav Tripathi

India’s batting coach, Vikram Rathour, described the Ranchi pitch as a typical Indian wicket with “enough cracks”. He acknowledged that the pitch would favour spinners but expressed confidence in his team’s ability to adapt to any conditions. The fourth Test between India and England starts on Friday. “Every time we play in India, there’s a question mark on the pitch. It’s a typical Indian wicket, with cracks. This wicket always has cracks,” Rathour told reporters on the eve of the match. “It will turn, but to what extent and when, we’re not sure. But we have enough balance in our…

England vice-captain Ollie Pope on Wednesday provided insights into the Ranchi pitch, where the fourth Test is set to commence on February 23. According to Pope, the pitch already displays numerous cracks and appears “platey,” indicating it’s not the typical batting-friendly surface. “It looks an interesting pitch,” said Pope while addressing the press-conference in Ranchi. “There’s a lot of cracks, it’s very platey, and they’ve just wetted it as well, which generally dries it up. If you wet it and leave it in the sun, we have found it crusts that top layer. It doesn’t necessarily look like a belting…

Shubman Gill has lauded the Indian pacers, asserting that the team’s fast bowling has been the differentiating factor between the two sides. India’s vice-captain and leader of the pace attack, Jasprit Bumrah, will miss the fourth Test in Ranchi as he has been rested for the upcoming game. In Bumrah’s absence, India will be forced to make at least one change, with either Mukesh Kumar or Akash Deep replacing him. “Jasprit Bumrah has been the leader of our attack, but the way Mohammed Siraj picked those four wickets was very heartening. Our fast bowling has been really good and made…

England Test skipper Ben Stokes has opened the door to resuming bowling competitively for the first time since last summer’s Ashes in the last two Tests of their ongoing series against India in Ranchi and Dharamshala respectively. The fourth Test begins on Friday. Still on the path to recovery after a knee surgery in 2023, Stokes has not bowled since the second Ashes Test in June 2023). He played in the ICC World Cup 2023 purely as a specialist batter, after which he underwent surgery. Ahead of the Rajkot Test, the 32-year-old had said he “pinky promised” his physiotherapist he wouldn’t…

Jasprit Bumrah, India’s vice-captain and premier pace bowler, could be rested for the upcoming fourth Test against England, scheduled to be played in Ranchi from February 23-27. There’s no official word from the BCCI on whether Bumrah will be benched for the next Test or not, but having already bowled 80.5 overs in the series, he’s most likely to as part of Team India’s workload management. Similarly, Mohammed Siraj was given a rest during the second Test in Visakhapatnam. It remains uncertain whether the team management will seek a replacement. Mukesh Kumar, released from the Indian squad for…

Playing in his hometown, Ravindra Jadeja starred with both bat and ball to steer India to a thumping win over England in the third Test in Rajkot. Jadeja reflected on his brilliant all-round performance after winning the player of the match award. In the first innings, Team India was in trouble at 33/3 but was bailed out by Jadeja and skipper Rohit Sharma. Jadeja was promoted to 5, and he made a fine 100. His stand of 204 with the skipper rescued India, as they posted 445. On the 204 run partnership with Rohit, Jadeja commented: “I was just looking…

After converting his third hundred into a 150-plus score, young India opener Yashasvi Jaiswal shared his mantra for scoring big hundreds. He said that when he is set, he makes sure to play as long as he can. Ever since making his debut in the Caribbean, Jaiswal has been sensational with the bat. In just seven Tests, the left-handed batter has scored 861 runs at an average of 71.75, including two double hundreds. “I’m just trying to make it big whenever I’m set. In Test cricket, you never know; I try to make sure I play as long as I…

Ravichandran Ashwin was delighted after reaching the milestone of 500 wickets in Test cricket, in Rajkot, becoming only the second Indian and the ninth bowler worldwide to achieve this feat. He attributed this significant accomplishment to his father, recognising the steadfast encouragement and support he received from him throughout his career. “I’m immensely grateful for this journey. I want to dedicate my 500th wicket to my father, who has stood by me through thick and thin. His constant support has been invaluable to me. Now that I’ve achieved 500 wickets, it’s time to focus on the game at hand,” he…

Debutant Sarfaraz Khan expressed his emotions at the conclusion of Day 1, revealing his fulfillment in achieving his father’s unfulfilled dream. He shared that his father harbored aspirations of playing Test cricket for India, a dream that he carried forward. Beginning his cricket journey at the tender age of six, Sarfaraz was determined to realize his father’s vision. “It was a deeply gratifying moment for me. Stepping onto the ground for the first time, receiving the India cap, and having my father present—it was truly special,” Sarfaraz conveyed during the post-match press conference. “At the age of six, my father…

England Test captain Ben Stokes played down the significance of his milestone appearance against India in Rajkot this week, emphasising that reaching the prestigious 100 Test club was merely just a number. Making his Test debut back in 2013, Stokes is set to become the 16th Englishman to feature in at least 100 Test matches when he leads the touring side against India in the third match of the ongoing five-Test series in Rajkot on Thursday. “Every Test is just as important as the next one. Then there’s the next one, which will be 101 – it’s just one more.…