Author: Vaibhav Tripathi

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) have announced Shamar Joseph as the replacement for Mark Wood for the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League. The West Indies fast bowler secured a Rs 3-crore deal and it will be his maiden stint at the IPL. He went unsold at the auction, where his base price was Rs 50 Lakh. The IPL confirmed Joseph’s LSG contract via a press release, although it remains unclear why Wood withdrew from the tournament. The fast bowler is currently with the England team for the ongoing five-Test series in India. Joseph’s arrival at the IPL comes on…

After missing out on the first two Tests of the five-match series in Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam due to personal reasons, talismanic batter Virat Kohli is set to extend his break from international cricket as he is likely to miss the third and fourth Tests against England as well, which will be played in Rajkot and Ranchi, respectively. As per an ESPNCricinfo report, his availability for the fifth Test is still uncertain. Kohli withdrew from the first two Tests of the five-match home series against England due to personal reasons, a decision acknowledged by the Board of Control for Cricket in…

In what was a nail-biting semi-final at Willowmoore Park in Benoni, India U-19 emerged victorious against the host nation, South Africa U-19, advancing to the final of the U-19 World Cup 2024. This chase was made possible by the 171-run partnership between Sachin Dhas (96) and skipper Uday Saharan (81), pulling India out of deep waters to secure a 2-wicket victory. Having batted first in all five games so far, this was the first time India were chasing a target, and nerves were evident. India got off to a disastrous start with Kwena Maphaka dismissing Adarsh Singh on the first…

Mumbai Indians’ (MI) head coach Mark Boucher clarified that the decision to replace Rohit Sharma with Hardik Pandya as the franchise’s captain for the upcoming IPL season was purely based on cricketing reasons, considering the side’s transitional phase and the desire to optimise Rohit’s batting performance. “It was purely a cricketing decision. We identified an opportunity to reintegrate Hardik as a player. This phase of transition may not be fully understood by everyone in India, where emotions often run high. However, if we set emotions aside, it’s clear that this decision was made purely from a cricketing perspective. I believe…

Jasprit Bumrah played a crucial role in India’s 106-run triumph against England in the second Test in Visakhapatnam, securing a nine-wicket haul. The vice-captain of the Indian team provided valuable insights into his match-winning performance, highlighting his strategic approach and adaptability to the prevailing match situations and pitch conditions. He also said that there was no competition and England pace spearhead James Anderson, who also put on a good show in the opening Test. “No, not really. Before becoming a cricketer, I’m a fast bowling fan. If somebody’s doing well, kudos to them. I look at the situation, at the…

Shubman Gill was pleased with the 104 runs he scored on Day 3 of the ongoing second Test between India and England in Vizag, but he also admitted that he could have scored more runs on this pitch. “Definitely very pleased but I left a bit out there, to be honest,” Gill said after the day’s play. He missed out on a big score in the first innings, as he was dismissed for 34. In the second essay, Gill survived a leg-before decision early into the day’s play against Tom Hartley. After consultation with Shreyas Iyer, he reviewed the call…

Indian opener Yashasvi Jaiswal shared insights into his marathon knock after the conclusion of the first day’s play of the second Test against England. He shed light on his thought process and the nature of the Visakhapatnam pitch. “I wanted to play it session by session. When they were bowling well, I just wanted to get through that spell. Initially, the wicket was damp and there was spin and bounce, with a bit of seam. However, I wanted to convert the loose balls, and play till the end. I would love to double this up, and play till the end…

The uncapped Indian batter, Rajat Patidar, shared insights into his learning experience from seasoned players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli as he prepares for the upcoming second Test between India and England, set to commence tomorrow in Visakhapatnam. “I closely observe how Rohit bhai handles the field positions and strive to incorporate these lessons into my own game. That’s my primary focus. I consistently watch Virat Kohli’s batting from behind the nets, paying particular attention to his footwork and body movements. I find great pleasure in observing his batting, and my goal is to integrate those skills into my…

Vikram Rathour, the batting coach for Team India, has offered support to struggling batters Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer as they come under the scanner for recent poor performances. Rathour emphasised the need for patience with players like Gill and Iyer, who faced significant challenges during the 28-run first Test defeat in Hyderabad. Gill struggled against England’s spinners, scoring only 23 and 0, while Iyer couldn’t convert promising starts of 35 and 13 into substantial scores. “There are young batters in our team who have not played much Test cricket,” Rathour said at the press conference in…

England wicket-keeper-bat Ben Foakes suggested that a change in mindset is aiding the visiting side’s batters in overcoming the challenges of playing on turning pitches in India. He emphasised the fact that there is now no fear of playing on turning tracks. “It’s more of a mindset shift of how to go about it, because in those conditions the bowler is a massive favourite to win the contest.. It’s how many blows you can put in,” he said to BBC. “Before, there was a fear of getting out and that put us in our shells. Now it’s not worrying…