Chris Woakes’ shoulder injury raises questions again for mid-Test injury replacements
The never-ending tale of injuries continues to plague both England and India at the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, as the latest entrant to the long list of injured players sees English fast-bowling all-rounder Chris Woakes being escorted off the field during the first day of the fifth and final Test at the Oval in London on Thursday. Woakes, who has been integral in England’s bowling attack, landed awkwardly on his shoulder while chasing after the ball at the boundary line in the 57th over. The 36-year-old had to be taken off the field with his left shoulder wrapped in his sweater. Woakes’ teammate Gus Atkinson provided an update, which England would be dreading as he said: “It doesn’t look great. I will be surprised if he participates in the game. It’s a big shame when anyone gets injured. I’m hoping it’s not too bad, but whatever it is, he’ll get the full support from everyone,” said Atkinson after the day’s play.” Woakes’ injury has reignited the conversation around the injury replacements, as this has been a major talking point during this season after Indian wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant also had to miss out due to a toe injury he picked up during the fourth Test. Former Indian cricketer Dinesh Karthik is in favour of an injury replacement and said,” For the second time in this series, on day one of a Test match, an injury has happened where you get the feeling that the player couldn’t participate in the Test match anymore,” Karthik said to Sky Sports.
Jasprit Bumrah concedes 100 runs in a Test innings for the first time after 48 Tests; India struggle to survive
India’s pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah recorded the most expensive spell of his Test career during the second innings of the fourth Test match against England in Manchester. Bumrah’s tally for the innings ticked past 100 runs, making it the first instance in 48 Tests where he’s conceded more than 100. The pacer’s previous worst figures were four for 99 against Australia in Melbourne in December 2024. Bumrah made his Test debut in 2018 in South Africa and has picked 219 wickets so far with the red ball. However, Bumrah’s stumbling on the staircase of Old Trafford triggered another major injury scare after Rishav Pant, who already has been ruled out of the pitch for the next six weeks following a severe toe fracture. On the third day of the ongoing Manchester Test, a video went viral rapidly, showing Bumrah stumbling while walking up the stairs during the second session, visibly grimacing as he limped back onto the field at Old Trafford. “It’s a good sign that Bumrah is back on the field, but it’s a bad sign that he went off the field. However, it looks like he is grimacing a little bit. Doesn’t look comfortable; he is reaching down at his left ankle,” former Australia captain Ricky Ponting said while commentating. The tension grew when Mohammed Siraj also appeared to be in discomfort, struggling to complete his 22nd over before limping off for treatment. Siraj, however, returned to the field later in the session, easing some of India’s immediate worries. Meanwhile, on Saturday, England scored 669 runs against India during the fourth Test in Manchester, the highest team total at Old Trafford. India, in reply, are struggling to survive with the loss of two wickets, having scored only three runs in the fourth innings. The visitors need 306 to win the Test. Across its Test history, this was the ninth-highest total conceded by India. Sri Lanka holds the record for the highest team total against India. The side scored 952 for six against India in Colombo in 1997. For England, this was its second-best effort against India, with the best of 710 for seven coming in Birmingham in 2011. The last team to score 600 runs or more against India was New Zealand, which managed 680 runs in Wellington in 2014.
Sanjoy Manjrekar appreciates Shubman Gill’s ‘Kohli-like’ aggression
India’s newly appointed skipper, Shubman Gill, has come a long way as a leader. In the three Tests against England so far, Gill has shown tremendous form. Additionally, in such an aggressive manner, the skipper is trying to guide his team on the field, has created similarity with Virat Kohli’s aggressive style, maneuvering the team as well as creating a buzz, whether Gill is showing the aggression to draw attention and publicity. But Sanjay Manjrekar, the former India cricketer, claims the captain is not doing it only for attention. Manjrekar said in a chat on JioHotstar that if somebody wants to build a brand by saying, “We are Indians, we are not less than anyone. This thought process will naturally draw attention. But Gill’s aggression is not to draw attention and mileage.” Manjrekar added, “Virat Kohli is different when compared to Gill. If Virat Kohli had come out to bat, he would have scored a hundred, but look at Shubman Gill’s body language. The man who batted like Bradman was so tentative in those nine balls that he seemed like he had gotten a pair. This is a clear sign that his aggression is not natural.” According to Manjrekar, Gill’s on-field altercation with England opener Zak Crawley remained a big talking point throughout the match. Some even thought England were charged by the incident and as its reflection, India find themselves 1-2 behind in the 5 match series.
Siraj slapped with ‘big penalty’ by ICC!
After the much-talked incident on the 4th day at the Lord’s, India pacer Mohammed Siraj has been fined 15 per cent of his match fee after a breach of the ICC Code of Conduct. Siraj was accused of ‘crossing the line’ in his celebration of the dismissal of England opener Ben Duckett, prompting the hosts’ former skipper Alastair Cook to demand a hefty penalty against the pacer. The ICC paid heed to Cook’s suggestion and announced a penalty, as well as a demerit point for the pacer on Monday. The incident happened on the fourth day when Siraj produced a fiery opening spell to claim the scalps of Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope. After dismissing Duckett, the pacer celebrated, coming closer to the batsman in his follow-through and making contact as the opener began his walk back to the Lord’s long room. Siraj was guilty of breaching Article 2.5 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to “using language, actions or gestures which disparage or which could provoke an aggressive reaction from a batter upon his/her dismissal during an International Match”. In addition to the fine, one demerit point has been added to Siraj’s disciplinary record, for whom it was the second offence in 24 months, taking his tally to two demerit points. “Mohammed Siraj has been fined 15 per cent of his match fee after a breach in the ICC Code of Conduct during India’s Test match against England at Lord’s,” said the ICC in a statement. “After the dismissal, Siraj celebrated close to the batter in his follow-through and made contact as Duckett began his walk back to the Lord’s long room,” the statement added. When a player reaches four or more demerit points within 24 months, they are converted into suspension points, and the player is banned. “That’s unacceptable, but who is to blame now? Whether Duckett walked right into him and knew exactly what he was doing. Then again, you shouldn’t shout in someone’s face like that. I wholeheartedly say that was wrong. There should be no physical contact. Yes, celebrate a wicket like you mean it. But you’ve got him out; you don’t need to look him in the eye from three inches and shout in his face. So I expect there to be repercussions, and there should be repercussions. That is my opinion. I thought that crossed the line,” Cook had said on the BBC Test Match Special on Sunday. The moment was one of several fiery moments in a Test match likely to go down to the wire on day five.
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.
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.”
Daniel Bath can be the first Indian-origin foreign footballer if the Indian government allows OCI card-holders!
Once the Indian government allows the All India Football Federation (AIFF) to reop in Indian-origin foreign footballers who have Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cards then Daniel Tanvir Bath can be the first Indian-origin foreign footballer to represent India in international tournaments. Daniel Bath, the 34-year-old defender is currently playing for the English team, Blackburn Rovers that is currently participating in the second-tier Championship of the League in England. The six-fit-three-inch Punjabi defender has a formidable experience of taking part in League-1 for Wolverhampton Wanderers where he played for almost 10 years. The defender drew attention through his performances with Stoke City, Sunderland, and Norwich City. It is learned that Daniel Bath who already has an OCI card, has expressed the intention to play for the Indian national team. Along with Daniel Bath, Kamran Kandola is another name that is reportedly willing to represent the country. The 21-year-old defender is currently playing in the sixth-tier competition, National League North. In the junior level, Kandola also participated in the second tier of the Premier League.
‘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.
