Latest news with #Shubman
Time of India
8 hours ago
- Sport
- Time of India
IND vs ENG: Virat Kohli & Rohit Sharma retirements will hurt India in England, feel Matthew Hayden and Graeme Smith
Cricket legends and predict India will face significant challenges in the upcoming five-match Test series against England starting Friday at Headingley, citing the retirements of and as a major loss of experience for the touring side. The series will see leading India in testing English conditions. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The Indian team's batting lineup will be notably less experienced following the retirement announcements of both Kohli and Rohit from Test cricket last month. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! "I feel India are really going to struggle. Shubman Gill is a young captain coming to this hostile environment, seaming conditions, bouncing conditions. It's going to be a real challenge, it's actually absolutely the litmus test as a touring team," Hayden told the ICC. Shubman's Big Test Begins! India's Probable XI & Stokes' Mind Games | ENG vs IND 1st Test Preview "Generally touring teams come here and it is polar opposite conditions to what you are used to as fundamentally as a player, be it young or old. So lots of adjustments, so I predict that England, let me tell you, are a going to have a pretty good party at the end of that series," the former Australia opener added. Quiz: "England at home, they really do play well at home. They understand the conditions and get the best out of it. I think it's going to be a challenge for Shubman and his team, lost a lot of experience, got to come here and that pressure shifts onto different people..." Smith said. "I think Bumrah is going to carry a huge amount of the bowling attack. So I think England will have the better of India in these conditions," Smith further stated. The Indian team will also be without R Ashwin, who retired after the third Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Brisbane last December. India's Test series victories in England have been rare, with only three successful campaigns in 1971, 1986, and 2007 since bilateral engagements began in 1932.
Time of India
11 hours ago
- Sport
- Time of India
Hockey India confident Pakistan will be part of Jr hockey World Cup
Chennai: The Pakistan men's junior hockey team is likely to participate in the upcoming World Cup, scheduled to be held in Chennai and Madurai later this year. Despite the political tension between the neighbouring nations, Pakistan are expected to make the trip to . Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! But their participation will be confirmed only when the visas of the travelling members are approved by the central govt. During the logo launch of the junior WC here on Thursday, Sekar Manoharan, Hockey India treasurer and Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu president, sounded confident about Pakistan's participation. Shubman's Big Test Begins! India's Probable XI & Stokes' Mind Games | ENG vs IND 1st Test Preview 'We have requested the central government for clearance and are hopeful that the request will be approved. There are talks that we will be bidding to host the Olympics in the future. Considering that this is a sports event, the government is likely to allow Pakistan's participation,' Manoharan said after HI signed the MoU with the Tamil Nadu govt. Quiz: Pakistan qualified for the junior WC after they finished runners-up in the junior Asia Cup last year. The 2025 edition will mark the fourth time that India will host the junior WC. TN deputy chief minister announced that the state government has sanctioned Rs 65 crore for the world junior meet.
Indian Express
a day ago
- Climate
- Indian Express
Leeds Test preview: With Kuldeep Yadav toiling hard in the nets, and dry conditions expected, will India be tempted to take a punt?
At the less-crowded of the two nets at Headingley, three Indian players, not sure of their spot in the playing XI for the first Test of the series, trained hard, giving it their all. Opener Abhimanyu Easwaran faced the left-armers – wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav and pacer Arshdeep Singh. Their intense battle, interspersed with constant banter and point-making, was watched by batting coach Sitanshu Kotak. This group was far away from the other busier net, where B Sai Sudharsan and Karun Nair – more likely to play in the series opener that starts on Friday – were batting under coach Gautam Gambhir's watch. And while the training session wheels moved with their usual monotonous rhythm, the sun was out in full glory, giving the Indians a 'home away from home' feel and also some unwanted doubts and dilemmas. It's unsettling when you are at Headingley, but the place reminds you of Chepauk. Shubman Gill, addressing his first pre-Test match conference as captain, could feel the heat despite the stadium's central cooling. 'This summer has been different from other English summers and the wickets have been pretty dry. We will have to take the call on the team combination after having one last look at the pitch,' he says. While Shubman spoke, outside on the ground, the all-important 22-yard was getting baked, the temperature hovering in the mid-30s. If the security personnel at the gate, Lahore boy Arshad's advice of 'topi laazmi hai yahan kyon ki idhar ki garmi chubhti jyada hai (you need to wear a cap since this heat is more prickly here),' was to be believed, this was easily 40 degrees. Sweating under the virtual 40 degree heat was Kanpur boy Kuldeep. He was in his elements, and with every dream ball he was ruining Easwaran's chances of getting into the playing XI. Just before the series, Kuldeep, in an Indian Express Idea Exchange, had been amused by a question about what the new captain Shubman needs to do in England. True to Kanpur's tradition of chikai – light-hearted leg-pulling – he said: 'Bus itna hi bolunga ki mujhko saare match khilaana. (I will tell him to play me in all the Tests),' he said. Too clever and proud a cricketer to approach the captain with this request, he was dropping hints at the nets. After Easwaran was through with his not-too-convincing session, the captain came to take guard. The batting quality suddenly saw a spike. The drives on the off-side got crisper and the pulls more powerful. Kuldeep would go around-the-wicket to test the captain with the ball that he gets to drift outside off-stump. Shubman would lean and drive, and even if there was a wide long off and extra-cover, the ball would have bisected them. Kuldeep wasn't giving up, he made one to turn sharply towards the slip from a rough. The captain missed and Kuldeep held his head and leaped, squealing on how he had missed the stumps by a whisker. Batting coach Kotak didn't agree; he spread his hands about a foot, indicating the distance by which he missed the clean bowled. It was Kuldeep's turn to disagree but there was consensus around the nets that it was a great ball. Dry pitch, no nip in the air – that must be Kuldeep's idea of a cricket paradise. Leeds, at least on Thursday, had it all. Being a left-handed wrist spinner, something the world isn't used to facing, was another factor that the Kuldeep backers would be listing at the team meeting to pick the playing XI. But what can tragically go against Kuldeep is the three batsmen he shared the nets with on this optional pre-match training day. What might see the spinner missing the cut in Leeds wouldn't be his skills but the lack of international experience of India's batting department, read Sai, Karun and Easwaran. With a batting unit slim on experience, India is expected to go with Ravindra Jadeja, the better batsman who would be an insurance cover for that early-tour batting collapse, an old Indian tradition. Kuldeep insists these days that he has improved as a batsman but Jadeja's numbers in Tests are a cut above. So when Kuldeep had bowled for close to an hour, he didn't call it a day. Net bowlers were called, some of them were getting hydrated in the stands thinking their day was over. Kuldeep wanted to face both spinners and pacers. 💬 💬 It's the biggest honour a player can get. Shubman Gill shares his thoughts on becoming #TeamIndia's Test captain.#ENGvIND | @ShubmanGill — BCCI (@BCCI) June 19, 2025 Shubman, by then, had finished nets and watched the spinner bat. After a comment on one of his lofted shots that almost took down a cameraman outside the boundary rope, he left. Coach Kotak, after a while, asked Kuldeep if he was through. No, said Kuldeep, he wanted to continue. He has too sharp a cricketing brain not to know what he needs to do to get into the playing XI abroad. In the lead-up to this Test series, the talk has been about the new batters who have taken the place of the recently retired batting stars – Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. However, equally important is to pick the right bowling combination. Leeds presents the new captain a chance to take a punt, which can be re-labelled as an inspired selection decision in a few days. But can the Leeds weather be trusted? There's an important cricket wisdom that's popular in these parts. They say that before making a decision in Leeds, one should first look up, then down, and up one more time – sky, pitch and sky again. On Thursday, in case one dared to stare at the clear blue bright sky with squinted eyes, there was a strong possibility that the names of Jadeja and Kuldeep would have been spotted.
New Indian Express
a day ago
- Sport
- New Indian Express
Youngsters can pull off a surprise in Ind-Eng series: Former India pacer Nehra
CHENNAI: AS India get ready to take on England in the first Test at Headingley, Gujarat Titans head coach Ashish Nehra backed the youngsters in the team to pull off a surprise in the five-Test series that begins on Friday. The former India left-arm pacer also felt batter B Sai Sudharsan will grab the chance with both hands whenever he makes his debut and that Prasidh Krishna could be an surprise package. 'According to me, Sai Sudharsan is a run machine, and he should get a chance on this tour although he is a new player. Even if the pitch conditions in England are tough and if he plays all five Test matches, then the rest will be history,' said Nehra in a virtual interaction facilitated by Sony Sports Network on Thursday. Nehra had nothing but praise for the new Test captain Shubman Gill, who he had mentored in the IPL as coach of the Gujarat Titans. 'I personally rate him. Shubman was never captain earlier for the Under-23 squad or Ranji Trophy, but I have spent two to three years with him, and you get to know the guy. He is a quick learner, and is very keen to learn all the time. Since he has played and experienced T20 cricket, which is more fast-paced, he is very composed for his age and is very mature for a 25-year-old. There are so many other things where you can be good or better, but that only comes with experience and playing more matches,' said Nehra. 'I know (with) runs nobody can predict, but early runs can take the pressure off Shubman. You feel more confident on scoring more runs.' he added.
NDTV
a day ago
- Sport
- NDTV
Gary Kirsten's Blunt 'Small Sample Size' Warning To Shubman Gill: "Takes Time To..."
Ahead of India starting its five-match Test series against England in Leeds, former head coach Gary Kirsten said Shubman Gill has the raw potential to be a great leader, adding that he's someone who backs up his words with actions. Gill will be firmly in the spotlight when a new look India begins its Test series against England at Headingley on Friday. Gill succeeded Rohit Sharma as the side's Test captain after the latter announced his retirement from the format last month. With Virat Kohli also retired from Tests, Gill will also shoulder the extra responsibility of filling in the veteran batter's spot at number four in the Indian batting order. Kirsten had the chance to see Gill from the closest quarters during his time as batting coach of Gujarat Titans in the IPL. 'I think Shubman is going to be a great leader. He's a smart cricketer—he's got a good brain for the game and understands his game. He's very talented and a nice human being, which I think is really important. 'When you come into these leadership positions, you're going to be put under pressure, and your leadership will be tested. For any young leader, your ability to learn how to lead, improve, and grow is constantly under scrutiny. But I believe he has all the raw materials to become a really good leader. 'The one thing I really like about Shubman is that he walks the talk. He's very organised, very diligent with his training and preparation, and that sets a great example for other players. I think he's primed to take the international stage by storm,' said Kirsten on JioHotstar. So far, Gill has played only three Tests in England, where his average is below 15. Former Australian cricketer Matthew Hayden backed Gill to grow as a batter and leader through the challenging Test series in England. "Shubman has huge shoes to fill. He'll have to find his footing in Test match cricket. There's a very small sample size when it comes to his experience here in England. But it takes time to build a legacy and become a legend. Virat Kohli, for instance, is India's most successful Test captain in terms of win percentage, so it's not fair to compare. "Shubman is a very good player, and he's got all the attributes needed to succeed in English conditions. We've already had a glimpse of his leadership across other teams, and there's no doubt he has the potential to grow into the role,' he added.
