Author: Vaibhav Tripathi

England fast bowler James Anderson thinks his team will opt for two spinners in the XI, in the five-Test series against India beginning on January 25. England have named four spinners in their 16-member squad. They are Jack Leach, Rehan Ahmed, Tom Hartley and Shoaib Bashir. Leach is the only one with experience of playing red-ball cricket in India. “We might open with two spinners. Your role (a fast bowler’s) changes a huge amount then. You come on third or fourth change with set batsmen in. That is the challenge of playing in India,” Anderson said in an interview with…

With the series already secured, India will aim to refine their T20 strategy as a team, and hope for skipper Rohit Sharma to fire in the third and final match against Afghanistan at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Wednesday (January 17). Apart from the possibility of a clean sweep, this marks India’s final T20I ahead of the T20 World Cup in June. In both matches so far, one could observe the intent that all the batters played with. Even Virat Kohli, who has often played the anchor role, came out all guns blazing. He smashed a quickfire 29…

Shreyas Iyer practicing in the nets Returning to the Ranji Trophy after a gap of five years, India and Mumbai batsman Shreyas Iyer spoke about domestic cricket. The 29-year-old emphasised that he played the game against Andhra to get into a rhythm before the upcoming five-match Test series against England, commencing on January 25. Iyer faced a challenging time in the Test series in…

New Zealand white-ball captain Kane Williamson has been ruled out of the remaining three matches of the ongoing five-match T20I series against Pakistan. Williamson suffered a hamstring injury during the second T20I in Hamilton and retired hurt after contributing to his team’s 21-run victory. He was on 26 when he experienced stiffness in his right hamstring. Following a scan on Monday, the 33-year-old was confirmed to have a hamstring injury, leading to his exclusion from the third T20I and the rest of the series. Will Young has been chosen to replace him for the remaining three matches, with Mitchell Santner…

Out-of-favor Indian pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar delivered an outstanding performance in his Ranji Trophy comeback match against Bengal on Friday (January 12). Making a return to the red-ball format after a gap of six years, the veteran pacer played for Uttar Pradesh against Bengal at the Green Park Stadium in Kanpur and ended Day 1 with impressive bowling figures of 5/25 in 13 overs, with three maidens. This marked Bhuvneshwar’s first red-ball game since 2018 when he was awarded the Player of the Match in the Johannesburg Test against South Africa. Representing UP for the first time since November 2016 in…

Young English left-arm spinner Tom Hartley is gearing up to face the trials of Indian pitches with a bowling technique reminiscent of spin duo of Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel. Hartley, selected for the five-match Test series against India, starting January 25 in Hyderabad, recognises the major differences between English and Indian conditions but is confident about making a mark with his skills. “With the conditions being completely different to English conditions, they’ve really analysed what has done well in India and what will do well. It’s nice to see people recognise that I might be the bowler to go…

Indian skipper Rohit Sharma highlighted the positives after India secured an easy win over Afghanistan in the first match of the three-match T20I series in Mohali on Thursday, November 11. After opting to bowl first, the Indian bowlers performed exceptionally well, especially Axar Patel and Mukesh Kumar, to restrict Afghanistan’s long batting lineup to a modest total of 158 on a wicket that looked ideal for batting. Also Read: Shivam Dube All-Round Show Seals Comfortable Win for India “Lot of positives, we got a lot from this game, especially with the ball,” said Rohit, acknowledging the efforts of his bowlers.…

A brilliant all-round performance from Shivam Dube helped India win the first T20I of the three-match series against Afghanistan by six wickets in Mohali. After restricting Afghanistan to 158, India chased down the target quite comfortably, with 15 balls to spare, with Dube remaining unbeaten on 60 off 40 deliveries. His innings was laced with five fours and two sixes. Axar Patel and Mukesh Kumar were outstanding with the ball, each bagging two wickets. India’s run chase had gotten off to a disastrous start. Rohit Sharma was making his T20I comeback after over 14 months, but it didn’t go as…

After a positive start to the year with a historic victory over South Africa in Cape Town, India will kickstart preparations for this year’s T20 World Cup with a series against Afghanistan at home. Both teams will lock horns in Mohali for the first T20I of the three-match series on Thursday, January 11. Securing consecutive T20I series victories against Australia and South Africa within a span of 30 days was a commendable achievement for the young and relatively inexperienced Indian squad. But now they’ve got their experience back, with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli returning to the fold. While…

The 17th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is set to commence on March 22, likely coinciding with general election dates. The information comes from a source closely associated with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The tournament will run until the end of May, preceding the ICC T20 World Cup to be held in June. Considering past election patterns, voting typically occurs in the months of April and May, aligning with the IPL schedule. Conducting a seamless tournament during the multiple phases of the election will pose a challenge for IPL organizers. While the election…