Yashashvi Jaiswal only 97 runs away from a 49-year-old record
Yashashvi Jaiswal is just 97 runs away from breaking the 49-year-old record by little master, legendary Sunil Gavaskar. Yashasvi needs to score only 97 runs, to become the fastest Indian to score 2000 runs in Tests. In his 20th Test match career Yashashvi has scored 1903 runs with a magnificent average of 52.86. Sunil Gavaskar still holds the record, who reached this milestone in his 23rd Test back in 1976. In this transition phase for Team India, Jaiswal’s form and overall performance in test cricket are a significant positive for the team. He scored an impressive century in the first innings of the opener match of the Anderson- Tendulkar Trophy. Yashashvi Jaiswal scored a century his first century in his debut against West Indies. After that, he proved himself in Australia and now in his first match on the English soil, he again proved why he belongs here. After Gavaskar, Rahul Dravid and Virender Sehwag are in the list who reached the milestone of two thousand Test runs in their 25th Tests, respectively.
Bumrah’s availability for the second Test is still uncertain!
Ace Indian fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah’s availability for the forthcoming second India-England is yet to be ascertained as a report claims that the decision will be taken by Gautam Gambhir, Ajit Agarkar, and Shubman Gill. The India head coach earlier confirmed that the fast bowler will not be a part of all five Tests as a part of his workload management. With the first Test ending on 24th June and the 2nd set to begin on 2nd July, India have a seven-day break currently. As per news agency PTI, a BCCI source pointed out there was nearly a week’s gap between the 1st and the 2nd Test. The source informed that the decision on whether Bumrah will play at Edgbaston will be taken by coach Gambhir, chief selector Agarkar, and captain Gill. The source added that the pacer will be assessed a day before the ENG vs IND 2nd Test and then a final call will be taken. “Bumrah has close to a week’s gap between first and second Test. So the decision rests with chief selector Ajit Agarkar, the coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Shubman Gill. They might assess him a day before the Test, and take a final call,” the source stated. India are being very cautious about Bumrah after he picked up a back injury towards the end of the series against Australia. The injury saw him be on the sidelines for nearly four months. Following his comeback, Bumrah confirmed that he will not be playing all five Tests in England, something which was agreed upon by the team management as well. India were once again too dependent on Bumrah in the 1st Test in Leeds. He managed to take his 14th five-wicket haul in the 1st innings but went wicketless in the 2nd despite bowling long spells.
Disappointed Gavaskar asks the Indian team to leave ‘optional training’ and become serious about ‘fielding’ before the second test
Sunil Gavaskar, disappointed with the defeat of the Shubman Gill-led Indian team against England at Headingley, has offered some specific advice to Gill & co. “Next couple of days you can take off, but now seriously get into practice. Leave this optional practice aside. You have come here to play for India. So, you practice in a way so that you will give yourself the best,” said Sunil Gavaskar, speaking on Sony Sports. The legendary batsman continued, “Full credit to England. Despite India having five centurions, they seemed to have that confidence. That is what made them take the final wickets. That is where India also missed out because those extra runs could have made the difference. As far as the fielding was concerned, it’s just not the catch, but the outfielding was pretty ordinary. Not Test class,” Gavaskar added. While explaining about the pitch, Gavaskar commented, “The pitch was perfect to bat on. So it is tough to criticize the bowlers. Bumrah bowled so well. If he had somebody, keeping it a bit tight, that would have been big help. But this is the first Test.” Defending 371 runs, India lost the game by five wickets. The former Indian captain feels the Indian team must have learned a lesson from the defeat. “Hopefully, lessons have been learned. There are eight days for the next match,” Gavaskar opined.
Rishabh Pant warned for showing dissent to the umpire at Headingley
India wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant who had a wonderful stint with the bat, scoring two centuries in the ongoing Headingley Test, was officially reprimanded by the International Cricket Council (ICC) ahead of the fifth day’s play on Tuesday for his on-field conduct during England’s first innings in the match. Pant was found guilty of having breached Article 2.8 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to “showing dissent at an Umpire’s decision during an International Match.” The 27-year-old was also handed one demerit point for the incident involving an argument with the umpire. In the 61st over of England’s innings, when Harry Brook and Ben Stokes were batting, Pant was seen having a discussion with the umpires regarding the condition of the ball. “When the umpires refused to change the ball after checking it with the ball gauge, the wicket-keeper showed his dissent by throwing the ball on the ground in front of the umpires,” the ICC said in its statement. The charges were reported to ICC’s Elite Panel match referee, Richie Richardson, by the on-field umpires, Chris Gaffaney and Paul Reiffel, along with the third umpire, Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid, and the fourth umpire, Mike Burns.
BCCI issues safety guidelines after horrific ‘RCB’ stampede tragedy
Following the horrible stampede that occurred during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s IPL 2025 victory celebration, the BCCI is taking decisive action. The board has confirmed that no future IPL celebrations will proceed without stringent safety measures in place, following the incident in Bengaluru that claimed 11 lives and injured over 50 fans. BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia acknowledged the mishap and stressed that the public celebrations during the post-IPL wins must not come at the cost of human lives. Although the BCCI initially distanced itself from the event, organized independently by RCB and the Karnataka government, the board has now stepped in to regulate such celebrations moving forward. To ensure that future felicitation events are well-planned and secure, the BCCI has constituted a three-member committee to frame standardized safety protocols. These guidelines will be mandatory for all IPL teams henceforth. Key guidelines proposed by BCCI: Cooling-off period: No team will be allowed to hold celebrations within 3-4 days of winning the title. Quick turnarounds will not be permitted to avoid rushed and poorly managed events. Mandatory BCCI clearance: Teams must seek formal permission from BCCI before organizing any celebration. No events can be held without prior written clearance from the board. Security blueprint: Mandatory 4 to 5-tier security protocols. Multi-layered security presence will be essential at all venues and during transit. Security arrangements must cover team movement from the airport to the event venue. The franchise must have to ensure full protection for players and staff throughout the event schedule. Government permissions: Permission must be obtained from district police, state government, and local authorities. All celebrations must be green-lit by civic and law enforcement bodies to proceed legally and safely. RCB’s victory parade was hurriedly planned for June 4, just a day after their first-ever title win. Despite traffic police warnings, the event saw over 2 lakh fans assemble outside M Chinnaswamy Stadium, leading to a deadly stampede. The franchise’s marketing head was later arrested and KSCA officials resigned in the aftermath. Nikhil Sosale, however, went out on bail afterwards.
Jasprit Bumrah expresses frustration to the coach in the dressing room after bowlers let him down
Jasprit Bumrah cast a frustrated picture towards the end of Day 2 of the first Test against England and understandably so. He was by far the best bowler on display in the series opener of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. Still, without proper support from the fielders and his fellow fast bowlers, England got away to challenge India’s big first-innings score (471) by reaching 209/3. The pace spearhead was seen having an animated chat with head coach Gautam Gambhir in the dressing room in the final hour of play on Saturday. It transpired in the 40th over of England’s innings when Bumrah was off the field. Shardul Thakur, India’s fourth seamer, was introduced into the attack for the first time in the match. During Thakur’s uneventful first over, the cameras panned to the Indian dressing room, where Bumrah was seen doing all the talking. He didn’t quite seem pleased with how things were proceeding in the Test match. Bumrah scalped all the three wickets giving away 48 runs. The wicket of Ben Duckett helped Bumrah break Wasim Akram’s long-standing record of picking the most wickets by an Asian bowler in SENA countries. Bumrah now has 147 wickets in 55 innings. Earlier, India were bowled out for 471 in the first innings in their opening Test against England with skipper Shubman Gill, vice-captain Rishabh Pant and opener Yashasvi Jaiswal scoring centuries.
Tendulkar predicts a 3-1 win for India; Bumrah shows magic with ball in the training!
Sachin Tendulkar predicted a 3-1 win for the Shubman Gill-led side in the upcoming Test series against England. It will be a huge series for India who will be without the services of star batters Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma after they both retired from the format. As a result, a new-look batting unit is expected to feature in the first Test match starting Friday under the leadership of Gill. Sachin seemed confident about the Indian cricket team’s chances in the Test series and the legendary batter had a huge prediction. “I have settled for 3-1 to India,” Sachin revealed while speaking to ESPN Cricinfo. Sachin feels that right-arm seamer Jasprit Bumrah will be the strike bowler for the visitors in the upcoming England tour for the five-match series. A new era beckons for India in the Test format as the modern-day giants gear up for their first assignment without the prized batting bigwigs Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Shubman Gill, India’s youngest Test captain, has taken the baton from Rohit to guide the nation to success and challenge for the World Test Championship mace. During India’s training session in Beckenham, Kent’s second home venue, Bumrah displayed his unparalleled mastery in the art of pace bowling. With the ball in his hand, Bumrah showed signs of breaking the notion of requiring assistance from the surface to wreak havoc. Tendulkar told the media, “I think the bowling attack will depend on Bumrah and how the other guys support him. Bumrah, without any doubt, is going to be our strike bowler.”
‘We both love playing against each other’; India to miss Virat’s fighting spirit says Ben Stokes
England skipper and all-rounder Ben Stokes recalls Virat Kohli’s exuberance on the field during the match and comments that India will miss his ‘fighting spirit’ ahead of India’s opening Test against England at Headingley, Leeds, which starts on 20th June. A new face will lead the Indian team, Shubman Gill after Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma announced their retirement from Test cricket last month. In a video released by England Cricket, Stokes said on what India will miss after the retirement of Virat Kohli, “I think what India will miss will be his fighting spirit out in the game, his competitiveness, desire to win. He has made number 18 his, hasn’t he? It’ll be a bit weird not seeing number 18 on the back of anyone… of any Indian shirt, but he has been class for them for a long period of time.” Stokes shared that when he texted Virat after the latter announced to put an end to his illustrious red ball career. Stokes said, “I did text him, saying it’s going to be a shame not to play against him because I love playing against Virat. We both love playing against each other because we have that same mindset when we are out in the field that it’s a battle.” Kohli retired as India’s fourth-highest run scorer in Test cricket, having scored 9230 runs at an average of 46.85 in 123 matches. He scored 30 centuries and 31 half-centuries. His annual average never dipped below 55 in the four years between 2016 and 2019. Additionally, his calendar year average at the end of 2016 and 2017 were both above 75.
Sourav Ganguly criticizes BCCI selectors for excluding Shreyas Iyer from the series in England
Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly was not in favor of excluding Shreyas Iyer for the upcoming Test series against England. Shreyas has been enjoying a brilliant run of form in the past year and he emerged as the top-scorer for Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. In the absence of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, Shreyas was suggested as a top contender for the middle-order but he did not find a spot in the final squad. Ganguly believes that Shreyas should have been picked based on his current form and he is not “the player who got left out”. Meanwhile, teenage fast bowler Eddie Jack has been “invited to practice” with England’s senior team ahead of the first Test against India after producing impressive efforts for the Lions against India A in the two four-day games, according to a report. India begin their new World Test Championship cycle taking on England in a five-match series beginning with the first match at Headingley from 20th June. The 19-year-old Hampshire seamer caught the selectors’ attention by dismissing India batter KL Rahul, who had scored a century in the first innings, during their drawn second unofficial Test in Northampton.
RCB to donate Rs. 10 lakh aid for families of stampede victims
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on Thursday announced financial support of Rs 10 lakh for the families of each of the 11 deceased during the stampede that ensued outside the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. Forty-seven people were injured in addition to the 11 who died in the incident that occurred during RCB’s celebration after they won the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) the previous day in Ahmadabad. The franchise and the Karnataka state government have since come under fire. “The unfortunate incident in Bengaluru yesterday has caused a lot of anguish and pain to the RCB family,” said RCB in a statement on Thursday. “As a mark of respect and a gesture of solidarity, RCB has announced financial support of INR 10 lakh to each of the eleven families of the deceased. In addition, a fund called RCB Cares is also being created to support fans injured in this tragic incident. Our fans will always remain at the heart of everything that we do. We remain united in grief.” RCB’s victory on Tuesday was followed by hugely emotional scenes, with the team ending an 18-year wait for the title. However, there was uncertainty over whether there would be an open-top bus victory parade from the Vidhana Soudha to the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Wednesday. Meanwhile, India’s World Cup-winning captain and legendary bowler Kapil Dev, expressing deep anguish over the tragic incident, commented, “Lives are more important than celebration.” He urged everyone to take precautionary measures so that such incidents do not take place in the future. However, Denying any prior information, IPL Chairman Arun Dhumal said: “We did not know any victory parade or celebrations planned in Bengaluru. We had no idea who organized it and how so many fans came there”
