Tag: England

India head coach Gautam Gambhir is under growing pressure ahead of the second Test against England after the loss at Headingley made it seven defeats in 11 red-ball matches since he took over last year.

The 43-year-old former opening batter is facing flak from some quarters for his selections, man management and how he carries himself in press conferences.

India are ushering in a new era following the retirements of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, with Gambhir widely reported to have played a part in the exit of at least one of the two veteran stars.

Led by new captain Shubman Gill, the visitors were beaten by five wickets in the opening Test of the five-match England series, adding to a growing sense of alarm.

The second Test at Edgbaston starts on Wednesday, and patience is wearing thin back home.

“Gautam Gambhir is under significant pressure. The situation is becoming increasingly tense,” former India batsman Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube channel.

“He has managed two wins against Bangladesh and one against Australia, but we’ve lost three matches to New Zealand, three to Australia and now one to England.

“He has been losing and losing.”

Gambhir, who as a player had a key role in India’s ODI World Cup triumph in 2011, succeeded Rahul Dravid in July last year.

Dravid signed off a largely successful three-year tenure by winning the T20 World Cup.

Gambhir was chosen as his successor almost exactly a year ago, but he and his side suffered a significant bloody nose when they went down 3-0 to New Zealand.

It was India’s first Test series defeat at home in 12 years.

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Along with chief selector Ajit Agarkar, Gautam Gambhir was criticised for leaving middle-order batsman Sarfaraz Khan out of the squad for England.

Karun Nair was picked ahead of Sarfaraz, who had scores of 68 not out and 56 against a visiting England last year, and made 150 versus New Zealand in Bengaluru.

Gambhir’s detractors say he is hot-headed and accuse him of acting too much on instinct.

Speaking ahead of the series, Indian wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik said that “tactically, Gauti (Gambhir) is a very good coach.

“Man management is the area that I am sure he would be looking at,” he told Sky Sports’ cricket podcast.

“But one thing about him is that he is looking out for his players, which is massive.

“What I feel at times is that the way he is aggressive as a captain, you can’t be as a coach.”

Following the defeat at Headingley, Gambhir looked ruffled and snapped in reply to a question about Rishabh Pant’s centuries in each innings.

The visiting batters scored five centuries in the match but still lost.

Former batter Sanjay Manjrekar has said that Gautam Gambhir should be kept away from the media, after the coach bit back at Ricky Ponting ahead of the tour to Australia last year.

India went on to lose the series 3-1.

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South Africa’s batting maestro AB de Villiers has warned England ahead of the second Test, stating that Jasprit Bumrah could feature in the India playing XI as a surprise.

The second Test between India and Englnad will commence on 2 July at Edgbaston, a venue where India has not won a single match in the previous eight outings.

While speaking on his YouTube channel, De Villiers heaped high praise on Jasprit Bumrah, stressing his workload management. He suggested that India should outline a plan similar to the one used for managing former Proteas pacer Dale Steyn in the past.

“He is probably the top bowler in the world in all formats right now. So, it’s very difficult to decide a way to rest him, but in my opinion, Test cricket is the ultimate form of the game,” he said.

“And this Test series probably would’ve been the one, in my opinion, to get him ready for all five Test matches. That’s what we used to do with Dale (Steyn). Rest him in lesser important T20 and ODI series and get him ready for the big Test series against Australia, England, and India away from home,” AB de Villiers added.

He also lamented on Jasprit Bumrah not playing all test matches but warned England that India might use the right-arm pacer as a surprise weapon for the remainder of the series.

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“It’s unfortunate that with an inexperienced bowling attack that he’s not gonna play all the Test matches, so at least that’s how it seems to have been communicated in the media.”

“Maybe it’s all part of the surprise, saying, ‘We are thinking of resting Bumrah,’ but then he ends up playing all five Test matches as a surprise. I think being 1-0 down, that’s hopefully the surprise for Team India, ” Ab de Villiers stated while highlighting Bumrah’s workload management.

For context, before the five-match Test series against England, the Indian team management outlined a workload management plan for Jasprit Bumrah, allowing him to feature in only three Test matches.

The precautionary major was taken in light of Bumrah’s back surgery after the Border-Gavaskar series.

READ: Gautam Gambhir clears the air on Bumrah’s participation in remaining England Tests

Former Australia captain Michael Clarke has urged India to make a key change to their playing XI in the second Test against England, starting from 2 July at Edgbaston.

Speaking on his YouTube channel ahead of the second Test, Clarke advocated for the inclusion of left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav into the India playing XI.

“Bowling-wise, I do not want to be hard on any individual, but I think they’ve got to play Kuldeep Yadav. I think it is an absolute no-brainer. I think he’s a wicket-taker and would have offered a lot more than what he saw the attack did in this Test match,” he said.

Michael Clarke emphasised the importance of wicket-taking ability, noting that Indian bowlers should find more ways of taking wickets.

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Bumrah’s a star, he’s leading that attack. But the other three fast bowlers, yes at stages bowled well, but they need to find more ways of taking wickets, more options, and their execution has probably got to be better,” he said

The 44-year-old shed light on Ravindra Jadeja’s form while mentioning his second innings performance against England in the opening Test.

“Jadeja didn’t have the impact that I thought he might have. Particularly in the second innings I thought there was lot of rough to the left-hander.

I thought he bowled a little bit straight. He could have been a bit wider into the rough, and even to the right-hander, utilise over the wicket into the rough looking for that LBW in front of the stumps,” Michael Clarke concluded.

For the unversed, England defeated India by five wickets at Leeds, taking a 1-0 lead in the five-match Test series.

Ben Duckett starred for the home team with a 149-run knock, while India became the first team to suffer defeat despite five players scoring hundreds.

READ: Jofra Archer named in England squad for second Test against India

Fast bowler Jofra Archer has been named in the England squad for the upcoming second Test of the five-match series against India, scheduled to be played at Edgbaston from 2 July.

This decision comes after England’s five-wicket victory against India in the first Test at Headingley earlier this week.

Archer, who has been out of the Test team since the 2021 tour of India, recently made his return to red-ball cricket, playing for Sussex against Durham in the last round of the County Championship.

After the 2021 tour of India, he faced an elbow issue and later suffered a stress fracture in his back, resulting in him playing only seven limited-overs internationals between March 2021 and May 2024.

“It felt all right today,” Archer said after his return to red-ball cricket. “I’ve been playing for a year, and bowling for two years, including the build-up, so everything is fine.”

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“Now it’s a different challenge, because I know my body can hold up to it. The mental part of the game [will be tough].

“Over the next couple of days, I’m going to have to battle a bit with it, but it’s all good. It’s a new challenge, and I’ll keep trucking along.”

It’s worth mentioning that after the second Test, the two teams will travel to London for the third match of the series, which is scheduled at the iconic Lord’s from 10 to 14 July.

Following that, the fourth Test will commence at Old Trafford on 23 July. The series will conclude with the fifth Test at The Oval, scheduled from 31 July to 4 August.

England squad for the second Test against India

Ben Stokes (capt), Jofra Archer, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Sam Cook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes

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England opener Ben Duckett has revealed the strategy behind his success against India ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah after being named the ‘Player of the Match’ for his 149 runs in the opening Test at Leeds.

Ben Duckett made 62 in the first innings, followed by a 149 off  171 deliveries, peppered with 21 boundaries and a six while chasing an imposing 371-run total.

With Duckett’s sublime knock, England chased down the target with five wickets in hand and leading the five-match series 1-0.

The 30-year-old, who made a comeback to the England side in December 2022, has accumulated 2,511 runs at an impressive average of 47.37 in 30 Test matches.

Following the match, Ben Duckett revealed the strategy behind his success against threatening Jasprit Bumrah, who went wicketless in India’s second innings.

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“It was pretty obvious Jasprit was a big threat of theirs,” he said. “It was about realising whenever he came on it was going to be a short, sharp burst, trying to see him off and not necessarily playing any big shots, Duckett added.

The southpaw emphasized seeing off Bumrah, noting that it’s about taking your pride out of things.

“It’s just realising that and taking the ego out of things. When he’s coming on, it’s to get the breakthrough, get me out, and if you get through that period it gets easier.”

Ben Duckett credited the change of mindset behind his success after making a comeback.

“My mindset personally is a bit different to what it has been over the last couple of years,” the Kent-born batter told reporters.

“Potentially there’s a bit of maturity kicking in. Playing more Test matches, learning from mistakes, is number one. Failures are easy to make changes and learn from, rather than just when you do well,” Ben Duckett said while highlighting the importance of learning from failures.

READ: Gautam Gambhir clears the air on Bumrah’s participation in remaining England Tests

India team head coach Gautam Gambhir has downplayed any alteration to Jasprit Bumrah’s workload management plan, despite the team suffering a five-wicket defeat against England in the first Test on Tuesday.

Before the five-match Test series, the Indian team management outlined a workload management plan for Jasprit Bumrah, allowing him to feature in only three Test matches.

The precautionary major was taken in light of Bumrah’s back surgery after the Border-Gavaskar series.

Following the post-match press conference, Gautam Gambhir commented on Jasprit Bumrah’s workload management in the rest of the series.

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“I think for us to manage Bumrah’s workload is more important because there’s a lot of cricket going forward and we know that what he brings to the table as well,” Gambhir said.

“So before he came on this tour, it was already decided that Jasprit Bumrah is going to play three Test matches, but let’s see how his body turns up. But we haven’t decided which two other Test matches he’s going to play, ” he added.

Gambhir emphasized the inexperience of the Indian pace attack while urging patience with the fast bowlers.

“This bowling attack has one bowler with five Tests under his belt, one has four, one has played two, and one hasn’t yet debuted. We will have to give them time,” he said.

“If we start judging our bowlers after every Test, how will we develop a bowling attack? Outside Bumrah and (Mohammad) Siraj, we don’t have that much experience, but they have quality, which is why they are in this dressing room, the head coach concluded.

For context, India went on to lose the first Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar trophy despite posting a total of 471 in the first innings.

The second Test between India and England will commence in Birmingham on 2 July.

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India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant etched his name into the record books with twin centuries in the Headingley Test against England, but his outstanding effort wasn’t enough to save his side from the defeat.

Pant, who was in sublime touch throughout the match, scored 134 off 178 deliveries in the first innings, hitting 12 fours and six sixes.

He followed it up with another masterclass in the second innings, a 118-run knock off 140 balls, laced with 15 boundaries and three maximums.

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Despite his brilliance, India suffered a comprehensive five-wicket defeat, making Rishabh Pant part of an unfortunate record in Test cricket.

With this feat, the left-hander became just the fourth Indian, and 12th overall, to score centuries in both innings of a Test that ended in defeat.

He now joins an elite but ill-fated group that includes Vijay Hazare (1948 vs Australia), Sunil Gavaskar (1978 vs Pakistan), and Virat Kohli (2014 vs Australia).

Here’s the complete list of players with twin centuries in a losing cause:

• George Headley (v England, 1939)
• Vijay Hazare (v Australia, 1948)
• Clyde Walcott (v Australia, 1955)
• Sunil Gavaskar (v Pakistan, 1978)
• Andy Flower (v South Africa, 2001)
• Brian Lara (v Sri Lanka, 2001)
• Andrew Strauss (v India, 2008)
• Hashim Amla (v India, 2010)
• Virat Kohli (v Australia, 2014)
• Brendan Taylor (v Bangladesh, 2018)
• Rishabh Pant (v England, 2025)

For the unversed, India set England a challenging target of 371 runs, which the hosts successfully chased down in the final session, losing five wickets in the process.

Star batter Joe Root remained not out at 53 runs, while Jamie Smith contributed an unbeaten 44 runs.

However, it was Ben Duckett who played a crucial role in England’s triumphant chase, scoring 149 runs off 170 balls, including 22 boundaries and one six.

This victory marked the second-highest run chase at Headingley, surpassing the previous record of 362 for 2 set against Australia during the 2019 Ashes.

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Former England captain Michael Vaughan has taken a hilarious dig at India for their dismal fielding performance in the first Test at Headingley. 

England defeated India by five wickets in the first Test of the five-match series at Leeds, with Ben Duckett shining with a swashbuckling 149 runs.

With England requiring 350 runs on the final day, the hosts put on a record 188-run opening partnership, thanks to a shambolic fielding display from the visitors.

Michael Vaughan took to X (formerly Twitter) to highlight the Indian team’s poor show on the field.

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“Just to let you all know, I have offered myself to India as a fielding coach .. My academy does a roaring trade,” he wrote.

The defeat turned the spotlight on the Indian fielders, with Yashasvi Jaiswal dropping four catches in the match. The southpaw dropped Ollie Pope on day two, who went on to score a century in England’s first innings.

Not only that, Yashasvi Jaiswal also dropped Ben Duckett in the first innings when he was batting on 67. The 23-year-old also handed a reprieve to Harry Brook while batting on 83 in the first innings; however, he was eventually dismissed on 99.

Perhaps the first innings drops did not hurt India much, but in England’s final essay, Jaiswal fumbled an easy catch of Ben Duckett when he was on 97.

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LEEDS: Ben Duckett’s sublime knock and Joe Root’s composed half-century sealed a thrilling win for England over India in the opening Test of the five-match series here at the iconic Headingley on Tuesday.

Chasing a daunting 371-run target on day five, England hit the winning runs on the loss of five wickets, with Joe Root remaining not out on 53 runs, while Jamie Smith contributed an unbeaten 44 runs.

The victory marked the second-highest run chase at Headingley, surpassing the previous record of 362-2 against Australia in the 2019 Ashes.

England started the final day’s proceedings with 21-0, requiring another 350 runs to secure a memorable victory against India.

The opening pair of Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett batted superbly for a record 188-run stand. Both batters dominated the Indian bowlers, as the visitors put on a poor fielding display.

Ben Duckett, who scored a sublime century, broke the record for the highest runs against India in the fourth innings of a Test match. Previously, Joe Root had held the record with an unbeaten 142* at Edgbaston in 2022.

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With the mammoth stand, England were in command of a daunting 371-run chase despite wickets falling in a heap. Crawley and Duckett successfully held off the Indian bowlers until lunch, scoring quickly as the home side reduced the target.

However, India pacer Prasidh Krishna brought the visitors back into the game with back-to-back wickets in a short period.

Krishna first removed Zak Crawley, who made 65 off 126 deliveries, laced with seven boundaries. In the span of only two balls, he also sent back Ollie Pope, reducing England to 206-2.

With England requiring 188 more runs, Shardul Thakur dismissed Ben Duckett and Harry Brook on back-to-back deliveries. Duckett, who made 149, was caught while Brook was sent back for a golden duck.

At tea, England were 269 for 4, needing 102 more runs. Ben Stokes (13) and Joe Root (14) remained not out, with India searching for more wickets.

For India, Prasidh Krishna and Shardul Thakur claimed two wickets each while Ravindra Jadeja picked up one wicket.

Earlier, India were bundled out for 364 runs in their second innings with England triggering a lower-order collapse.

READ: Ben Duckett shatters multiple records with century against India

LEEDS: England opener Ben Duckett has shattered multiple records with his sublime 149-run knock against India in the ongoing first Test here at Headingley on Tuesday.

Duckett, who scored a sublime century, broke the record for the highest runs against India in the fourth innings of a Test match. Previously, Joe Root had held the record with an unbeaten 142* at Edgbaston in 2022.

In addition to this, Duckett also became only the second opener after Alastair Cook to score consecutive half-centuries at the iconic Headingley cricket ground. Previously, former England captain Alastair Cook had achieved this feat at this iconic ground.

The 30-year-old is also the first England opener to score a fourth innings century since Cook against Bangladesh at Mirpur in 2010.

The mammoth 188-run stand between the openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett also tumbled multiple records. The partnership that cruised England is the highest fourth innings stand against India.

Moreover, this is also the highest opening stand in a fourth innings of a Test match in England. Previously, England’s Geoffrey Boycott and Mike Brearley put on a 154-run partnership against Australia in 1977.

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With the mammoth stand, England were in command of a daunting 371-run chase despite wickets falling in a heap. Crawley and Duckett kept Indian bowlers at bay till lunch, scoring briskly as the home side brought down the target.

However, India pacer Prasidh Krishna brought the visitors back into the game with back-to-back wickets in a short period.

Krishna first removed Zak Crawley, who made 65 off 126 deliveries, laced with seven boundaries. In the span of only two balls, he also sent back Ollie Pope, reducing England to 206-2.

With England requiring 188 more runs, Shardul Thakur dismissed Ben Duckett and Harry Brook on back-to-back deliveries. Duckett, who made 149, was caught while Brook was sent back for a golden duck.

At tea, England were 269 for 4, needing 102 more runs. Ben Stokes (13) and Joe Root (14) remained not out, with India searching for more wickets.

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