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.
Shubman becomes the fifth-youngest Test captain for India; Shami ignored
Shubman Gill will become the fifth-youngest player to captain India’s Test team when he leads the side against England at Leeds on 20th June. The Punjab batsman, aged 25 years and 285 days, was named captain for the five-match series following Rohit Sharma’s retirement from Test cricket earlier this month. Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi remains India’s youngest Test captain, having led the team at 21 years and 77 days in 1962 against the West Indies. Meanwhile, Pacer Mohammed Shami was not picked in India’s squad for the five-match Test series. Shami, whose last Test was the World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia in June 2023, made a comeback to the national side earlier this year after undergoing an ankle surgery in February 2024. Abhimanyu Easwaran, however has cracked into the side following his impressive performance in the domestic cricket last season. But it is to be seen whether he gets opportunity to play in Tests. However, after eight long years, Karun Nair has returned to the India Test squad for the five-match series against England, beginning June 20. Nair last played for India in 2017, in a Test against Australia in Dharamsala. He has featured in six Tests, scoring 374 runs at an impressive average of 67. Notably, he became only the second Indian batter after Virender Sehwag to score a Test triple century. Along with Sai Sudarshan, Indian left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh has also earned his maiden Test call-up for the upcoming five-match series in England. Arshdeep’s County Championship stint with Kent last year saw him take 13 wickets in five Division 1 matches at an average of 41.76, with best figures of 3/58. In first-class cricket, he’s claimed 39 wickets in 12 matches for Punjab at an average of 28.05. Arshdeep also leads India’s T20I bowling charts with 99 wickets. “Arshdeep is a quality bowler, he has played county cricket, and domestic cricket. We have watched him over the last couple of years. There is no other reason,” said chief selector Ajit Agarkar while announcing the test squad. India’s squad: Shubman Gill (C), Rishabh Pant (VC & WK), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, and Kuldeep Yadav. Test series will commence on June 20th in Leeds before the action moves to Birmingham for the second Test. The Lord’s Cricket Ground will host the third Test, beginning on July 10, 2025. Old Trafford and Kennington Oval will host the fourth and fifth Tests of the series respectively.
Vaibhav Suryavanshi gets call from Team India for England tour after IPL heroics
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced Team India’s Under 19 squad for the upcoming England tour. The teams will face each other in a 50-over warm-up match, followed by a five-match Youth One-Day seriesandtwo Multi-Day matches, scheduled fromJune 24 to July 23, 2025. Vaibhav Suryabangshi who came into the limelight after smashing a century in his Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, also made cut to the team.Ayush Mhatre who showcased an impressive performance for the Chennai Super Kings has been named as the captain. Abhigyan Kundu is named a vice-captain. “The Junior Cricket Committee has picked India’s U19 for the upcoming tour of England,” BCCI announced in a release. Significantly, Vaibhav’s mobile phone found nearly 500 ‘missed calls’ as he switched off his phone for the last five days. He said, “I have been preparing for 3-4 years. And I saw the results too. Whatever was missing, I was able to work on it. All the things that once looked tough, became easy. I have realized that it’s important to stay focused. There’s no such thing as a natural game. You only have to play according to what the team needs. And not try to do too many extra things at this level. I have to stay in my strong zone and make the team win,” he said. Vaibhav also revealed, “I received over 500 missed calls, but I had kept my phone switched off. A lot of people were approaching him after I scored the century. But I don’t like having too many people. I try to stay away. I had kept my phone off for 4 days; I told you that. I like to be around my people at home and a few friends.” However, Rajasthan Royals chief coach Rahul Dravid has warned the team’s sensational find-out that he will have to go under intense scrutiny before the next IPL, especially by the opposition bowlers. So, according to Dravid, touring England should give Vaibhav valuable learning.
Ben Stokes quits alcohol to boost fitness!
England’s Test captain Ben Stokes has revealed that he has given up alcohol to recover from a hamstring injury, which he suffered in December in a Test match in New Zealand. According to media reports, the all-rounder has stopped drinking alcohol since 2nd January this year, making a lifestyle shift for the all-rounder. Stokes has admitted that his previous drinking habits were “all or nothing” and had begun to affect both his physical recovery and personal well-being. The 33-year-old spoke on the Untapped podcast, saying, “After my first major injury, I remember the shock of it, after the initial adrenaline had stopped, thinking: ‘How has this happened? We did have a bit of a drink four or five nights ago, could that have played a part? It wouldn’t have helped.’ “Then I was like: ‘OK, I need to start changing what I do.’ I don’t think I’ll ever be completely sober, but I’ve not had a drink since 2 January. I said to myself: ‘Not until I finish my injury rehab and get back on the field.’ I think the day I wake up and can’t be bothered to do the training program is getting towards that time when you don’t want it anymore. But I haven’t got any interest in stopping. “It’s just getting harder to do everything. Hence why now I feel like I have to work so much harder away from the field, in the gym, and all that kind of stuff to just give me the best chance of being out there to perform. But I’ll keep going as long as I possibly can.”
Malan predicts IPL will resume in September after the Test-series against England
Former England cricketer Dawid Malan predicts the remainder of the IPL can resume in September after the five-test series between India and England gets over. The ongoing Indian Premier League has been suspended due to tensions between India and Pakistan. However, this is not the first time IPL has been suspended mid-way through. During the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak in 2021, the tournament was halted and resumed in September later in the year. Malan stated while speaking on Al Arabiya, “If it doesn’t happen in India or Sri Lanka in a week like that, I suppose they will start in September. They got a massive Test series coming up against England in a few months, and the IPL has to finish before that or start after that; logistically, it is quite a headache for the organizers. I guess they have to wait and see how next week plays out in terms of the safety concerns of players and people of both countries.” The five-match Test series is beginning on 20th June makes it one of the earliest starts for India in the English summer, with their last two Test tours mostly being played in the months of August. The five Tests will be played at Headingley, Edgbaston, Lord’s, Old Trafford and the Oval from 20th June to 4th August.
