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CNA
a day ago
- Sport
- CNA
Two quick-fire wickets drag England back into opening test just before lunch
LEEDS, England :Two wickets late in the session dragged England back into their opening test of the five-match series against India on Friday, with the tourists 92-2 at lunch having previously cruised into a strong position. Despite the clear, humid Headingley conditions seemingly favouring the batting side, England chose to bowl first, safe in the knowledge each of the previous six Leeds tests had been won by the side bowling first. Skipper Ben Stokes' decision initially seems ill-advised, with India openers KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal both looking in fine form, taking India into the nineties unbeaten as lunch approached. Without numerous frontline pace bowlers through injury - the lightning Jofra Archer and Mark Wood in particular - England's new-look attack grew more erratic as the opening session wore on. It was left to Brydon Carse, making his first test start on home soil, to make the crucial breakthrough just as Rahul was really settling in on 42, Yorkshireman Joe Root taking the catch on his home ground in the slips. The pressure then got to 23-year-old Sai Sudharsan on debut, as from the last ball before lunch, Stokes found a leading edge, with Jamie Smith taking the catch behind the stumps to send the rookie back to the pavilion without having scored a single run.
Reuters
a day ago
- Sport
- Reuters
Two quick-fire wickets drag England back into opening test just before lunch
LEEDS, England, June 20 (Reuters) - Two wickets late in the session dragged England back into their opening test of the five-match series against India on Friday, with the tourists 92-2 at lunch having previously cruised into a strong position. Despite the clear, humid Headingley conditions seemingly favouring the batting side, England chose to bowl first, safe in the knowledge each of the previous six Leeds tests had been won by the side bowling first. Skipper Ben Stokes' decision initially seems ill-advised, with India openers KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal both looking in fine form, taking India into the nineties unbeaten as lunch approached. Without numerous frontline pace bowlers through injury - the lightning Jofra Archer and Mark Wood in particular - England's new-look attack grew more erratic as the opening session wore on. It was left to Brydon Carse, making his first test start on home soil, to make the crucial breakthrough just as Rahul was really settling in on 42, Yorkshireman Joe Root taking the catch on his home ground in the slips. The pressure then got to 23-year-old Sai Sudharsan on debut, as from the last ball before lunch, Stokes found a leading edge, with Jamie Smith taking the catch behind the stumps to send the rookie back to the pavilion without having scored a single run.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
England have superior batting power and Ben Stokes is the series' undisputed alpha male, but India are full of talent... so which side stacks up better ahead of blockbuster series?
There are always fireworks when England meet India, and the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy — which gets underway at Headingley on Friday — should be no exception. Are the Bazballers capable of blitzing their way to victory against a team as talented as India? Here our Cricket Correspondent LAWRENCE BOOTH gives his verdict on which country boasts the superior XI… Openers No opener in Test cricket has scored more than Ben Duckett's 2,216 runs since his return to the side in late 2022, and his partnership with the wildly inconsistent Zak Crawley is a fascinating study in contrasts: short and tall, left and right, cutter and driver. But while Duckett is now a fixture, Crawley remains under scrutiny after a nightmare tour of New Zealand. India's KL Rahul has an average to match his age — 33 — but that shouldn't distract from his track record overseas, including 110 at Sydney a decade ago, 149 at the Oval in 2018 and 129 at Lord's in 2021. England know all about the terrifying gifts of Yashasvi Jaiswal, a decade Rahul's junior, after his successive double-centuries against them in India early last year. In English conditions, though, he is unproven. England 7/10 Middle order There can be no concern about Joe Root and Harry Brook, who put on 454 at Multan over the winter and will resume their middle-order alliance on home turf at Headingley. But, with Jacob Bethell waiting in the wings, the pressure on Ollie Pope will be intense. It's not ideal England's No 3 and vice-captain is playing for his career after 56 Tests. India's Shubman Gill has two burdens to shoulder: the captaincy and the absence of retired duo Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. And he'll have to improve on his career average of 35 from a new position of No 4. Sai Sudharsan may be thrown in for a Test debut at No 3, while 33-year-old Karun Nair — a long-ago triple-hundred against England on his c.v. — could return for his first Test in eight years. They're all talented players, but it feels fragile. England 8 India 6.5 All-rounder Ben Stokes seems to have settled on his role with the ball: short, sharp spells to ensure his body survives 10 Tests against India and Australia. But he could do with runs. The England captain has just five fifties in 24 innings since the start of 2024, and an average of 27. With Kohli absent, Stokes becomes the series' undisputed alpha male. India's Ravindra Jadeja is one of Test cricket's most unsung all-rounders, but his record falls away in England, where he averages 29 with the bat and 43 with his left-arm spin. India may also find room for one of Nitish Kumar Reddy, who scored a memorable century from No 8 at Melbourne over the winter, and Shardul Thakur, who swung the Oval Test his side's way in 2021 with a pair of half-centuries down the order. England 8 India 7 Wicketkeeper After enjoying his first year as a Test cricketer against West Indies, Sri Lanka and Pakistan, Jamie Smith now embarks on the serious stuff. His counter-attacks from No 7 could become a feature of the series, especially if India's seamers have been made to work hard. Rishabh Pant's recovery from the car crash that nearly killed him in December 2022 is one of cricket's most heartwarming stories. But he remains one of the most dangerous Test hitters in the world, and can turn a game for India in a session. Like Smith, he doesn't miss much behind the stumps. England 7 India 7 Spinners The noise around Shoaib Bashir has quietened a little after he took nine wickets against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge, but England's experiment with an inexperienced 21-year-old off-spinner never feels more than a game or two away from coming unstuck. Jadeja should offer the control Bashir lacks, but the question is whether India can also squeeze in the left-arm wrist-spin of Kuldeep Yadav, who is used sparingly at Test level but has still picked up 56 wickets at 22, including 19 against England at home two winters ago. His presence in these conditions may be seen as a luxury. Washington Sundar is on stand-by with his off-breaks. England 6 India 7 Seamers Chris Woakes may be 36, but his home record is formidable: 137 Test wickets at 21. Brydon Carse had a first winter to remember in Pakistan and New Zealand, and Josh Tongue has a point to prove after a mixed return to Test cricket against Zimbabwe. Stokes will be able to relieve the frontliners for 45 minutes here and there. India's Jasprit Bumrah is an all-time great, and could win a Test or two by himself. He will be backed up by the feisty but occasionally loose Mohammed Siraj, and possibly Prasidh Krishna, who bowled well at Sydney in January and may keep out left-armer Arshdeep Singh. Whether India go in with three or four seamers depends on the identity of their all-rounder. England 7.5 India 7.5 Totals England 43.5
Reuters
07-06-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
India's Rahul signals top-order readiness with warm-up hundred
LONDON, June 7 (Reuters) - KL Rahul's composed hundred in the ongoing second unofficial test against England Lions will bring much relief to the India team management ahead of the five-test series in England. Partnering with Yashasvi Jaiswal at the top of the batting order, Rahul produced a chanceless knock of 116 in Northampton on a lively track in overcast conditions on Friday. India, under new captain Shubman Gill, have been left with gaping holes in their top order after opener Rohit Sharma and stalwart Virat Kohli quit test cricket last month. While Rahul, who can bat practically anywhere in the lineup, is likely to succeed Rohit as Jaiswal's opening partner, either Gill or Karun Nair is likely to fill the void of Kohli at number four. Nair, who played the last of his six tests in 2017, smashed a double hundred in the first unofficial test in Canterbury. "We haven't really decided on the (batting order), we still have some time," Gill had said in his pre-departure press conference in Mumbai. "We will be playing an intra-squad match and we will be having a 10-day camp in London. So we still have a little bit of time and I think we can decide on the batting order once we go there." The five-test series begins in Leeds on June 20.
