Tag: India England

Legendary batter Sachin Tendulkar has predicted that the Shubman Gill-led India will beat England 3-1 in the five-match Test series, set to commence tomorrow.

Following the retirement of Indian stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, the captaincy reins were handed to 25-year-old Shubman Gill.

Speaking ahead of the much-anticipated series, Tendulkar suggested that Gill should shut the outside noise.

“My advice to him [Gill] would be that he should not worry about what x, y, z is saying,” Tendulkar said.

“His captaincy, whether Shubman is being aggressive, or defensive, or attacking enough, or not a proactive captain, or active captain – whatever that opinion is, it’s only an opinion and it’s from outside, he said of the young batter.

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Shubman Gill, who is still new to Test cricket and finding his feet in the longest format, faces the challenge of leading a team that has a huge void to fill in the absence of  Virat Kohli.

“I think what he needs to think about is what was discussed in the dressing room – when they are planning something, are they going according to that plan and whether the decision being made is in the interests of the team – that is what he needs to think about and not about the outside world, Sachin Tendulkar furhter emphasized.

The little master emphasised the thought process for Shubman Gill, noting that players should go out and express themselves.

“The outside world can only give opinions. These guys can go out and play as well, and only the dressing room will have that honour.

No one else will have that. I would say, just go out, it’s a huge honour, enjoy the moment and give your best for the country and do what is in the interest of the country. Other than that, I would say shut the doors to everything. I think that should be his thought process,” he concluded.

For context, India has not won a Test series in England since 2007. In their last series victory, Sachin Tendulkar was a vital cog, scoring an important 91 runs in the first innings of the second Test.

With his valuable contributions, India sealed the three-match series 1-0 under the captaincy of Rahul Dravid.

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Former India cricketer and renowned commentator Ravi Shastri has urged the selectors to make surprise inclusions in the India squad for the five-match Test series against England, set to commence in June this year.

England will host India for a five-match Test series, marking the beginning of the next cycle of the ICC World Test Championship from 2025 to 2027, with the first Test scheduled at Headingley on June 20.

This will be Team India’s first Test series after the 3-1 defeat against Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

While speaking in the latest episode of the ICC review, Ravi Shastri called on the selectors to include young batter Sai Sudharsan, hailing him as an all-format player for India in the future.

“I see this young man, Sai Sudharsan, for all formats of the game,” Ravi Shastri said. “He seems like a class player, and my eyes would be on him certainly.”

The left-handed batter is yet to make his debut in Tests for India and has played for Surrey in the County Championship in 2023 and 2024.

Ravi Shastri emphasized his experience playing in England, noting that he will be at the top of the list for inclusion.

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“Being a left-hander in England, knowing English conditions, and just his technique, the way he plays, I think he’ll be top of the list for me from the outsiders wanting to get into this side,” added Shastri.

Shastri also supported the inclusion of a left-arm seamer in the squad, keeping in mind the seam-friendly conditions.

“I’ll be looking for a left-armer. I’ll be keeping an eye on which left-armer is in good form, and try and squeeze him in there as the sixth (bowling) option.

“It could be anyone. It could even be a white-ball specialist. I don’t like this thing when they say someone like Arshdeep Singh is a ‘white-ball specialist’,” Ravi said.

Ravi Shastri also stressed keeping an eye on his red-ball record, praising his strategic thinking.

“I’ll keep a close eye on his red-ball record as well and the number of overs he bowls. If he can bowl 15-20 overs for me, he might very well be in the mix because he’s got the mindset. He’s a thinking bowler and I need a left-armer. It’s just that,” he concluded.

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CUTTACK: The second One-Day International (ODI) between India and England at the Barabati Stadium was disrupted due to floodlight failure here on Sunday.

Chasing 305, India got off to a flyer as openers Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill added 48 runs for the first wicket off 37 balls. However, the floodlight went off in the sixth over of the match.

The play was halted for half an hour due to floodlight failure stopping the Indian on-slaught against England.

Earlier, after winning the toss and opting to bat first England put on 304 runs on the board. Joe Root was the top-scorer with 69 along with notable contributions from Ben Duckett and Liam Livingstone.

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Duckett departed for a well-made 65 in the 15th over while Livingstone was run out on 41 in the last over of the innings after giving his team a strong finish.

Ravindra Jadeja was the stand-out performer with the ball taking three wickets in his ten overs while Hardik Pandya and Varun Chakravarthy bagged one wicket apiece.

It is pertinent to mention here, that after hammering England in the five-match T20I series, India registered a commanding win in the first ODI by four wickets courtesy of Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer’s batting.

Chasing 249, Gill scored 87 while Iyer stood firm with his 59 runs which left England in a hole after the visitors opted to bat first.

India playing XI

Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul(w), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami, Varun Chakravarthy

England playing XI

Philip Salt(w), Ben Duckett, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler(c), Liam Livingstone, Jamie Overton, Gus Atkinson, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood, Saqib Mahmood

READ: England Men call up Tom Banton as cover for third ODI against India

England Men have called up Somerset batter Tom Banton as cover for the third ODI against India in Ahmedabad, which starts on Wednesday.

Warwickshire batting all-rounder Jacob Bethell, who featured in the first ODI defeat in Nagpur, has sustained a left hamstring injury. The injury will be assessed further when the team arrive in Ahmedabad on Monday.

Tom Banton, who last played for England in an ODI in August 2020, has been in outstanding form in T20 franchise cricket. He is currently the leading run-scorer in the UAE ILT20 competition, where he has amassed 493 runs from 11 innings at an average of 54.77, including two centuries.

Banton is set to arrive in India tomorrow (Monday) with a chance to reignite his international career.

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Bethell’s injury also leaves England with a dilemma ahead of their opening match in the ICC Champions Trophy against Australia in less than two weeks, with wicket-keeper Jamie Smith still recovering from an injury.

For the unversed, Bethell scored a half-century and took one wicket in the first match. The 21-year-old all-rounder had a successful tour of New Zealand at the end of 2024, scoring three half-centuries at an average of 52.

It is pertinent to mention here, that after hammering England in the five-match T20I series, India registered a commanding win in the first ODI by four wickets courtesy of Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer’s batting.

Chasing 249, Gill scored 87 while Iyer stood firm with his 59 runs which left England in a hole after the visitors opted to bat first.

England squad for India ODIs and Champions Trophy

Jos Buttler (c), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Jamie Smith, Liam Livingstone, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Saqib Mahmood, Phil Salt, Mark Wood.

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Former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar lashed out at India for a concussion sub-selection of Harshit Rana in the fourth T20 International against England.

Harshit Rana made his T20I debut as a concussion substitute in the fourth T20I replacing batting all-rounder Shivam Dube. Dube was hit on his helmet in the last over of the side’s innings, forcing India to bring in a concussion sub.

Rana was instrumental in clinching a series victory for his team after taking 3-33 in his four overs.

After his heroics in the match, English captain Jos Butler and several former cricketers including Kevin Pietersen and Alastair Cook slammed the match referee’s decision, saying that Harshit Rana was not a like-for-like replacement for Dube.

Indian legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar also shared similar views regarding the controversy row that played a vital role in England’s thrashing in the fourth T20I.

“In the Pune game, Shivam Dube batted right till the end after having got hit on the helmet earlier, so clearly, he was not concussed. So, allowing a concussion substitute itself was not correct,” Gavaskar wrote in a column for an Indian publication.

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According to Sunil Gavaskar, Rana should have been allowed to field and not bowl as Dube had not sustained an injury while batting.

The former India captain further said that it was not justified for India to bring in Harshit Rana as a concussion sub for Dube.

“Even by the most generous stretching of the like-for-like term, there was nothing such between Dube and Rana, said cricketer turned commentator.

“With tongue firmly in cheek, one can say that they are the same height and have the same standard in fielding. Otherwise, there’s nothing like-for-like as far as they are concerned,” Gavaskar concluded.

For the unversed, India gave England a hammering in the fifth T20I and clinched the five-match series 4-1 at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium.

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