Latest news with #Bazballers
Hindustan Times
8 hours ago
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Pick Jasprit Bumrah 'even if he's 80 percent fit': England great tells Gill, Gambhir to ditch pacer's workload plan
India's long summer in England begins with the first Test in Headingley, and while the visitors are entering a new red-ball chapter under Shubman Gill, their biggest hope remains a familiar one. Jasprit Bumrah, fresh off a stellar run of form in the Indian Premier League, stands as the defining figure for India in a series that promises unrelenting tempo from Ben Stokes' England. For all the talk about transition and new beginnings, Bumrah remains India's lynchpin. In a side where youth will be tested against England's audacious 'Bazball' blueprint, it is Bumrah who India will pin their hopes on to orchestrate the counter. The pace spearhead was sensational during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy earlier this year, unsettling Australia's top order with consistent hostility. Despite missing the final innings due to a back spasm, he was widely hailed for his effort and accuracy. Now, England are bracing for his return, and former England captain David Gower made no attempt to downplay the threat. 'Jasprit Bumrah is a fantastic bowler—world-class. His fitness is crucial. If I were England, I'd prefer he doesn't play at all!' Gower told The Times of India. 'If India need to manage his workload, they must be strategic—look at pitch conditions, the opposition, and figure out where he can make the most impact. English pitches are usually decent—not overly bowler-friendly—so someone of Bumrah's quality can be the difference. If he's even 75–80% fit, I'd still want him in the XI.' With 367 overs under his belt in 2023 and a recent injury setback, Bumrah's workload is being carefully monitored. Chief selector Ajit Agarkar has already confirmed he won't be part of all five Tests. Bumrah, too, stated that he is unlikely to play in all the matches of the series. 'Three Test matches is what I'm looking at. The first is definitely on,' Bumrah told Dinesh Karthik during a chat for Sky Sports Cricket earlier this week. With 60 wickets against England, Bumrah is India's eighth-highest wicket-taker in this historic rivalry, and the only active fast bowler on that list. In England alone, he's picked up 37 wickets in nine Tests at an average of 26.27, including two five-fors. If India are to silence England's Bazballers, they'll need Bumrah to fire from the very first ball.
News18
a day ago
- Sport
- News18
IND Vs ENG: Trial By Fire For Shubman Gill And Co. As India Eye Winning Start
Last Updated: Shubman Gill, India's 37th Test captain, has a lot on his plate and much to prove. Shubman Gill. Gautam Gambhir. A new beginning. A new captain, a determined coach, some seasoned veterans, and a few new faces will strive to create an engaging narrative over the next 45 days as an evolving India faces an equally intense England in a five-Test series for the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy starting Friday (June 20). Only three Indian teams – Ajit Wadekar's 1971 squad, Kapil Dev's 1986 team, and Rahul Dravid's 2007 group – have won a Test series in England in the last nine decades, which is not an encouraging statistic. Additionally, India's most dedicated long-format cricketer of the past decade, Virat Kohli, has retired from Test cricket, making the batting lineup appear slightly less experienced. For 25-year-old Gill, this series will be a trial by fire against an England side that has revolutionised Test match batting under Brendon McCullum's coaching and Ben Stokes' captaincy. Gill's selection as India's 37th Test captain is more about his potential than his past achievements as a batter and leader in the traditional format. The 'Prince' has a lot on his plate and much to prove. An unusually warm Leeds (with a maximum temperature of 29 degrees Celsius expected on Friday) and a grassy 22-yard surface at Headingley are not exactly ideal for England's famous 'Bazballers', but this series will hinge on which batting unit buckles first under pressure. England's batting lineup, with Joe Root boasting over 13,000 Test runs and 36 centuries, appears stronger on paper compared to India, whose most experienced batter is KL Rahul (58 Tests, 3257 runs). However, the presence of the exceptional Jasprit Bumrah in the Indian bowling unit levels the playing field, even if he is available for only three Tests. Despite the absence of Kohli and Rohit Sharma, who played his best Test cricket in the 2021 series, this could be India's best chance to pressure an English bowling lineup lacking the quality that James Anderson and Stuart Broad provided for two decades. An attack comprising Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue, and Shoaib Bashir, with skipper Stokes complementing them, does not instill fear in the opposition. Head coach Gautam Gambhir, now the most influential figure in the Indian dressing room after Kohli and Rohit's departure, will not want his already blemished record of six defeats to worsen. This series will be a significant test of Gambhir's tactical skills. With Karun Nair's comeback appearing likely based on his presence at first slip during practice, another batting spot remains in question. Will Gambhir field an extra batter and give the talented B Sai Sudharsan his Test debut? Or will he opt for both seam-bowling all-rounders, Nitish Reddy and Shardul Thakur, to compensate for the lack of an additional specialist batter? There is also the temptation to play Kuldeep Yadav, who can turn the ball on any surface, but Ravindra Jadeja, despite his limitations as a left-arm spinner in SENA countries, is still a solid No. 7 batter. Another issue is whether T20 specialist Arshdeep Singh should be chosen as the third seamer based on conditions, or if Prasidh Krishna, who bowls faster but slightly back of length, should get the nod. Not to forget Akash Deep, who is considered an ideal partner for Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj in these conditions. Gambhir's decisions will undoubtedly define India's strategy over the next six and a half weeks. The hosts have already announced their eleven, and it is clear that Stokes and McCullum have opted for a batting-heavy lineup with Woakes coming in at No. 8. Woakes, who has a Test century against India, is a competent batter. However, much will depend on how Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett fare against Bumrah and Siraj, who can pose significant challenges. Ollie Pope, who struggled against Bumrah in the last India series, knows that Jacob Bethell is waiting in the wings. Ultimately, the Root versus Bumrah battles in three of the five matches could determine the series outcome. tags : Ben Stokes brendon mccullum England cricket team Gautam Gambhir India cricket team India vs England India vs England 2025 Shubman Gill Location : Leeds (UK) First Published: June 19, 2025, 14:25 IST News cricket IND Vs ENG: Trial By Fire For Shubman Gill And Co. As India Eye Winning Start
Indian Express
2 days ago
- Sport
- Indian Express
The making of Shubman Gill the Test captain, through the eyes of coaches and a trainer
What caught India's junior coach Abhay Sharma's attention when he first saw a 14-year-old Shubman Gill was the consistency of his conduct. Shubman had hit eight straight centuries for Punjab but there was nothing about his demeanour to suggest that. 'His behaviour remained consistent whether he scored 100 or 10. His mindset was excellent, he knew he was good but always wanted to improve,' Sharma says. Two years later, Shubman, now 16, was at Dharamshala in the middle of a net session with his talented Punjab junior team of that time. WV Raman, former India opener and reputed coach, was on the sidelines. Shubman was facing a variety of bowlers, one of them an express pacer. While judging a young batsman, Raman has relied on an old method. 'What I look to see is the kind of time that he has when batting and how composed he is when up against real fast bowlers.' Shubman would get the coach's nod. 'He played the fastest bowler like any other bowler, he had a lot of time and he didn't play the fastest bowler any differently,' recalls Raman. 120 kph or 140 kph, the same consistency of conduct. Soham Desai, Team India's trainer till very recently, too has a Shubman tale, this one too is about his poise and composure. It's from his 200 against New Zealand in an ODI at Hyderabad. That was 2023, Shubman was 23 then. 'He didn't accelerate till the 47th over as he was following the team plan. Then he asked the dressing room for permission to accelerate or not. Once he got the go ahead, he did and scored his 200. This for a guy who wasn't even 25,' he says. Shubman doesn't get carried away, be it the starting of an inning or when he is nearing a 100 or even 200. It is that consistency of conduct again. Leadership gurus value consistency of character. So do Indian selectors. Shubman has had lean patches, significant form dips and also chronic technical batting flaws. So why was he preferred over the other captaincy candidates? At the crux of the observations made by Sharma, Raman and Desai lies the answer. What gave Shubman an edge over others was his leading-man looks and a reassuring persona. He has a face that exudes calmness. He hasn't had a rousing start to his Test career, he doesn't have a phenomenal captaincy record but strangely his cricketing fabric has captaincy material. Shubman looks the part for sure. But can he deliver the lines on the big stage? Can he handle the swing in England? Can the young captain take on the Bazballers, handle the seniors in his team and work with the coach with an aura of authority around him? Beyond his sparkling numbers and temperament, Shubman's strength in his commitment to his craft, aversion to peacockery and that finely tuned sense of his own self-importance. Many of his peers were earmarked for greatness before him, a few he had played under, but they faltered and were left behind. At the junior level, Shubman was denied captaincy. At Punjab, he played under his friend and present-day T20 basher Abhishek Sharma. In the Under-19 World Cup, it was Prithvi Shaw who led the team. He didn't see it as a setback, it didn't compel him to change his character. He wasn't an eager beaver. Shubman didn't try to catch the attention of the coaches, he didn't try to show that 'he too can lead.' Coach Raman remembers the bright batsman who kept to himself but it wasn't because he didn't have much to say. 'He was not the captain or a vice-captain, maybe he felt it was better not to really try and impose himself on the team management. Whenever he was asked, he would always be very keen to give his views. He was not what I would call a forthcoming guy, who would venture into volunteering to suggest things at meetings,' recalls Raman. His early days in the senior Indian team too were similar. On the field, he wasn't in the captain's ear all the time. Now, it has come to light that he was busy watching, listening and imbibing. The other day, in a Skysports interview, he said he picked a few captaincy attributes from his seniors – Virat Kohli's proactiveness and Rohit Sharma's tactical nuance. Shubman loves preparing for the road ahead, from the time he picked his bat as a 4-year-old. At Chak Khere Wala, the Punjab village on the Pakistan border, he would watch Sachin Tendulkar on telly and try to bat like him. In the courtyard of his sprawling ancestral home, Shubman would chuck the ball against the wall and quickly take guard to hit it straight, just like Tendulkar. He was self-driven but having a cricket-obsessed farmer father, who didn't believe that academics was the only path that leads to success and wisdom, helped. The family moved to Chandigarh for Shubman's cricket. From the age 8 to 14, every day of his life, the batting prodigy batted for close to 6 hours. Such was his family's backing that Shubman couldn't understand why his fellow juniors complained that their parents wanted them to leave cricket and focus on studies. Who does that? the boy would wonder. Though, there would be occasional moments of weakness. What if cricket doesn't work out? That's when he would tell himself that there was always the family's large swathes of land in his village to fall back on. There was always the option of being a landed farmer, like his grandfather and father. Unlike his peers, the ones with modest means traveling on train from Virar to Churchgate or Roorkee to Delhi in a bus, Shubman was at peace. He had a Plan B but he was fully-committed to Plan A. He was never anxious, defensive or insecure. In a crowd of hopefuls, he stood out because of his confidence to make it big. This wasn't wishful thinking but a process-driven pursuit. Abhay Sharma saw the making of a confident Shubman. 'From the beginning, he was disciplined. He understood his game, maintained routines, was punctual for the gym, and focused on his skills. He is confident, not overconfident. You can see that focus in his eyes. This is very important as a leader. International cricket will bring different pressures, but I'm sure he'll handle it,' he says. And then he says those magical words: 'He knows how to conduct himself, he is also consistent which is why everyone likes him.' Trainer Soham speaks about how Team India benefited from getting a ready-made complete cricketer. 'He is very clear about what he wants. He had a desire to be a complete package when he gets into the Indian team. He is system-oriented about his diet, training, and recovery. With him it's never like, 'okay I am here now, what do I need to do?' Indian cricket's ultimate committed man Virat Kohli too had drifted from the path after success at the junior level. He had his moment of realisation when one day, in his early 20s, he stood in front of the mirror and saw his puffed up face and much-abused body. There have been a few stray rumours and gossip magazine speculations but Shubman has broadly walked the straight line that has taken him to the top. India captain at 25 – is a testimony of the consistency of his conduct. The English shores aren't new for Shubman. He has been there and even done it too. Starting from the India Under-19 days. Sharma and Raman recall two different innings in England that have stayed in their minds. First Raman and his memories of a hundred at Kent. This was the tour when the coach had given simple advice to the batsman. 'He was too keyed up to do well, so I had asked him to relax a bit,' he says. The English bowlers would suffer at the hands of a relaxed Gill. 'I remember the 100 he got in one of the one-dayers in England. The first 80 runs, the domination that I saw from him, I don't think that's ever been seen by entire sides. Everybody went absolutely gaga over his ability and his talent,' he said. Raman would follow the career of his one-time ward at the senior level. He would cheer his highs, observe his lows and appreciate his ability to bounce back. 'He's grown in confidence both as a cricketer and also as a person. Along the way, he's also understood what it is that he can do, what he shouldn't do,' he says. So what is it that Shubman the batsman should not do in England? 'Not trust the pitch,' says Raman with a laugh. 'By that I mean he should try and ensure that his eyes are glued on the ball since there's bound to be a little bit of lateral movement. He's got to try and play a little bit late. In England, you've got to start moving a trifle late because of the moisture, because of the heavy atmosphere, the ball may not come as quickly as it comes in other places in the air.' Raman also gives the weather warning. 'There's no guarantee as far as English weather is concerned. So every session is going to be different, every half an hour is going to be different,' he says. Shubman's other coach Sharma is confident that he can do all that. He too banks on his memories for his prediction. Sharma remembers his under-19 days and his hundred at Brighton. That was the tour, Sharma had backed him to play at No.3 and had spent long hours giving him throwdowns. The two had formed a bond. 'I still remember after he got the man of the match award, while everyone was on the ground, he walked towards me, thanked me and touched my feet. It was an emotional moment,' he says. 'Years later, we met again, by then he had become an India team regular. This was Jaipur during the Ranji season. I was coaching Delhi and he was playing for Punjab. Both teams were having nets, the ground was full. Just as Shubman spotted me.' Being true to his consistency of conduct, Shubman touched Sharma's feet like he did when he was a promising junior.
Indian Express
4 days ago
- Sport
- Indian Express
‘England bowlers aren't that good': Matthew Hayden lists two Tests where India can challenge hosts
Former Australia opener Matthew Hayden has said India will have their chance to clinc the five-match Test series in England provided they win specific matches up north in the country, while also downplaying the strength of the host's bowling attack. Hayden, who was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame last week, said that the Shubman Gill-led Indian side will have a good chance of trumping Ben Stokes' Bazballers should they win the opening Test in Headingley, starting June 20, and the Manchester Test, the fourth match of the series. 'I don't think England bowlers are that good, they have got a number of injuries and a number of retirees as well, that will be the challenge,' Hayden said on JioHotstar. 'The northern Test matches when it's zipping around that will be key, win that one and it could well be a series that goes India's way,' he added. England are facing an injury crisis in the lead-up to the series, with as many as three frontline quicks sidelined due to injury. While speedster Mark Wood was earlier ruled out of the first three Tests, Jofra Archer and Gus Atkinson were subsequently deemed unfit to start the series. India's batting order will also have its task cut out in the absence of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Former India batters Sanjay Manjrekar and Deep Dasgupta also said India could give England a stiff challenge in the bid to win their first Test series in the country since 2007. 'It is a young team, it has a young captain. The team is going through a transition so that will give England a slight advantage and they have the home advantage as well but it will be very close. I'd say 3-2 in favour of England,' Dasgupta said. 'I think England have an edge. They are playing at home and the Indian team is going through a transitional phase so I think England might just pull this off,' remarked Manjrekar.
NDTV
13-06-2025
- Sport
- NDTV
Gautam Gambhir's Special Ploy For India's Intra-Squad Match, Copies European Football: Report
Team India's only practice match before the five-Test series against England gets underway at Beckenham on Friday. The four-day intra-squad contest will see the Shubman Gill -led side taking on India A, likely to be led by Abhimanyu Easwaran. The fixture could come in handy for some of the players who were not part of the India A squad for the two unofficial Tests against the England Lions. In addition, head coach Gautam Gambhir has demanded secrecy, just like the 2024/25 Australia tour. As per news agency PTI, Gambhir has demanded for a "closed door session to prevent the opposition from getting any ideas on the tactical front, emulating a long-established practice among European football clubs." As bowling coach Morne Morkel said on Wednesday, building the stamina to bowl and field 90 overs a day is very different from normal net sessions. The four-day game, which doesn't have the official first-class status, gives batters a second go if someone is dismissed cheaply. With 360 overs of match simulation available over four days, it will give the team management a chance to allow the bowling unit get enough overs under their belt. That would be handy in ensuring that the bowlers -- be it a spinner or a pacer -- have the requisite rhythm in actual match. Gambhir will have some work to do in terms of zeroing in on lone specialist spinner for Headingley. There is Ravindra Jadeja, whose superior batting becomes a huge factor in SENA countries but against England's 'Bazballers', Kuldeep Yadav 's versatility could complement pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah better if India harbour any hopes of picking 20 wickets. Jadeja versus Kuldeep is the biggest playing eleven jigsaw puzzle that needs to be sorted by Gambhir and the coaching staff. Similarly, the intra-squad game will also give the coaches and skipper Gill a chance to see which of Akash Deep 's fuller length or Prasidh Krishna 's back of the length stuff works better in these conditions. Bumrah, who will be playing a red-ball game after six months, will also get a chance to bowl multiple spells and test his fitness having only played IPL since his comeback from a lower back stress injury. The first Test kicks off next Friday at Leeds' Headingley.
