Faltering India Brace For Another Spin Trial In Must-Win Third Test

31.10.2024 - 16:37 sports.ndtv.com

Pushed to a corner like never before, India face their biggest challenge at home when they clash with New Zealand in the must-win third Test as they are left to salvage pride and fight a perception about their diminishing ability to negotiate quality spin attack.

India could be treading a thin line between bravado and desperation while going for the jugular on a rank turner in the final game of the series, starting Friday.

After losing their first home series in 12 years, India need to win the Wankhede Test to remain in contention for a slot in the World Test Championship final at Lord's in June.

With six Tests remaining in the 2023-25 cycle, two-time runner-up India will need to win at least four more to have another crack at the WTC trophy.

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Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) are set to retain Australian batter Travis Head and young Indian all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy as their final two capped players ahead of the IPL auction. According to ESPNcricinfo, Head will be retained for Rs 14 crore, while Reddy will secure a deal worth Rs 6 crore. With these two key retentions, SRH have now finalized their quota of five capped players before the auction, solidifying the core team that propelled them to the IPL 2024 final. The combined value of these retentions will deduct INR 75 crore from their total purse of INR 120 crore. Previously, SRH had confirmed the retention of Heinrich Klaasen (INR 23 crore), Pat Cummins (INR 18 crore), and Abhishek Sharma (INR 14 crore). They are now eligible to use a right-to-match card to potentially re-sign one of their uncapped players during the auction.

India A vs Australia A LIVE Streaming, 1st Unofficial Test Live Telecast: When And Where To Watch

India A vs Australia A, 1st Unofficial Test LIVE Streaming: India A will be squaring off against Australia A in the first Unofficial Test of the two-match series, starting from Thursday in Mackay, Australia. The outings of Abhimanyu Easwaran, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Prasidh Krishna will be the primary focal points of India A's four-day match. Easwaran, Nitish and Pradish have been included in India's squad for the five-Test Border-Gavaskar Trophy series, beginning on November 22, and the thinktank will be eager to know how they fare in Australian conditions.

Delhi Capitals Sent Clear Message To Retain These Five Players For IPL 2025

Ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 Retentions, former India cricketer Harbhajan Singh said that Delhi Capitals (DC) should retain Rishabh Pant, Axar Patel, Tristan Stubbs and Jake Fraser-McGurk. In 2020, Delhi Capitals reached their first-ever final. However, in the last season, they narrowly missed the playoffs based on net run rate, with seven wins, seven losses, and a total of 14 points. In the 2024 season of the IPL, Pant played 13 matches and scored 446 runs at a strike rate of 155.40. Star India all-rounder Axar Patel appeared in 14 matches in IPL 2024 and scored 235 runs at a strike rate of 131.28. He also picked up 11 wickets at an economy rate of 24.00.

Salima Tete Named India Captain For Women's Asian Champions Trophy

Salima Tete was named captain of the 18-member Indian women's hockey team announced on Monday for the Asian Champions Trophy scheduled to be held from November 11 to 20 at the newly-developed Rajgir Hockey Stadium in Bihar. Navneet Kaur will serve as Tete's deputy. India enter the competition with high expectations, having clinched the title at last year's edition in Ranchi. The team will face stiff competition from five other nations, including reigning Olympic silver-medallists China, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, and Thailand, in the battle for continental supremacy.

"I've Delivered...": Ignored India Star, Hero Of India's Border Gavaskar Trophy, On Challenges

Indian cricketer Ajinkya Rahane has consistently embraced challenges on the cricket field, particularly when his team has been under pressure. Reflecting on his career, he shared, "Wherever there are challenges, I love it. I have scored runs in those situations when the team was at 30/3, 20/3, or 50/3. From there, the team needs to reach a respectable score, and throughout my life, I've delivered my best knocks in these tough situations." Rahane's appreciation for challenging conditions began early in his career.

Injured Black Cap Williamson to miss third test against India

Former New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson will miss the third test against India starting in Mumbai on Friday in the hope that his groin strain clears up in time to face England next month, New Zealand Cricket said on Tuesday.