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RAJKOT, India : A severely depleted India will do everything they can to try and deny England captain Ben Stokes a victory in his 100th test when the teams clash in the third match of the five-test series in Rajkot on Thursday.
England skipper Ben Stokes said on Wednesday that teenage spinner Rehan Ahmed had taken his visa scare in his stride ahead of his scheduled participation in this week's third Test against India.
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has backed Gujarat Titans (GT) to qualify for the playoffs in the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), despite captain Hardik Pandya's trade to Mumbai Indians. Under the guidance of former India pacer Ashish Nehra, Hardik led GT to the IPL title in their first season in the tournament in 2022. The franchise also reached the final of the tournament last year, losing to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in Ahmedabad. Despite Hardik's departure, Gavaskar feels that Nehra can still inspire GT in the upcoming season with a new captain in Shubman Gill at the helm.
Indian cricket seems to be heading towards an overhaul, with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) looking to make Ranji Trophy participation mandatory for certain categories of players. The overhaul seems to be in line after the Ishan Kishan fiasco that saw the wicket-keeper batter preferring personal training sessions over playing for his state team, Jharkhand, in the Ranji Trophy. The BCCI reportedly wants to see the likes of Ishan, Krunal Pandya, and Deepak Chahar turn up for the red-ball event. But, no such directive has yet been issued to Hardik Pandya, who also remains focussed on personal training sessions.
Afghanistan all-rounder Mohammed Nabi on Wednesday became the oldest player to headline the ICC ODI all-rounders' list, ending Shakib Al Hasan's long reign at the top. There is little to no change at the top of the Test rankings with India's Jasprit Bumrah firmly perched at the top of the bowlers' list. India's Ravindra Jadeja, who is set to return in the third Test against England beginning Thursday, still led the way comprehensively in Test all-rounders' rankings. Nabi reached the No.1 spot following his 136 during the opening match of Afghanistan's three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka, while the 39-year-old also picked up a wicket in the same contest to gain one place and move to seventh on the latest rankings for ODI bowlers.
One of the greatest cricketers of all time, MS Dhoni is a true legend of the game, not just for what he brought on the field but the human being he is. While the wicket-keeper batter isn't an international cricketer anymore, he has started to practice ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season. While fans were thankful to see Dhoni back to playing cricket, it was his bat sticker that made headlines. Dhoni's gesture for his old friend, by using the name of the latter's shop on his bat's sticker earned him plenty of plaudits. But, it wasn't the first time Dhoni helped someone with such a gesture.
Former India pacer Zaheer Khan feels the Rajkot pitch will be similar to the ones in Hyderabad and Vizag, bringing reverse swing into play once again. Jasprit Bumrah put up a reverse swing masterclass in Vizag for a match haul of nine wickets as India levelled the series. "I hope the pitch is on similar lines to the one in Hyderabad and Vizag," Zaheer told JioCinema. "On that kind of a surface, we should be able to see a good contest between bat and ball for the first two days and spin comes into play on the third day. "You'll see some reverse swing as well. And on the fourth and fifth days, you'll have the spinners dominating.
India spinner Kuldeep Yadav on Tuesday said that rank turners might come into play in the ongoing Test battle against England but admitted that sporting tracks, like the ones seen in the first two games, are "good for cricket". The two sides have assembled in Rajkot for the third Test starting at the Saurashtra Cricket Association (SCA) Stadium from Thursday, with the series poised at 1-1.