Page 2 - Test Cricket

Ashwin has been good but team wants to prepare Sundar for future: Harbhajan

No one can take away the "phenomenal achievements" of Ravichandran Ashwin but the Indian team management is preparing Washington Sundar for near future when the former calls time, feels another spin maestro Harbhajan Singh. Ashwin, who with 536 wickets is second to Anil Kumble's 619 Test scalps for India but the next 84 victims could take time with young Washington suddenly becoming India's first-choice off-break bowler in the Gautm Gambhir era. I think that's what their (team management and selectors') long term plan is. Ravichandran Ashwin has done a phenomenal job playing for India in taking all those wickets in his career, Harbhajan told PTI in an exclusive interview when asked if he sees Ashwin's younger Tamil Nadu statemate taking over the mantle of lead spinner. Ashwin's age is certainly a factor that is being kept in consideration. But now that he is at that stage, at the age of 38, so that's why they have kept Washington Sundar with them (for) whenever R Ashwin will retire

Let's drop Marnus Labuschagne for Adelaide Test against India: Johnson

Former pacer Mitchell Johnson reckons that Australia should drop out-of-form Marnus Labuschagne from the playing eleven for the day-night Adelaide Test against India, starting December 6. Labuschagne got out for two (52 balls) in the first innings and 5-ball three in the second essay during the Perth Test. "Marnus Labuschagne after a lengthy poor run with the bat should be replaced for the second Test in Adelaide. And that's not for the sake of having someone pay the price for the thrashing in Perth," Johnson wrote in Nightly.' Johnson said it will help Labuschagne to go back to domestic cricket and rediscover his form. "It (dropping) would give him a chance to play some Sheffield Shield and club cricket away from the pressure of playing for your country. I feel he would benefit from that more than going out there trying to survive against Jasprit Bumrah and co., he added. Johnson said dropping Labuschagne, who has collected 4119 runs at an average of 48 from 51 Tests, should no

India vs PM XI live time, format, Canberra weather, live streaming on Dec 1

Day 2 of the India vs Prime Minister's XI warm-up Test match will see both teams play out 50 overs in order to get some batting practice in their bags ahead of the Adelaide Test.

NZ vs ENG: Kane Williamson reaches 9000 Test runs in Christchurch

This milestone came in his 182nd innings, making him the eighth fastest player in Test history to achieve 9,000 runs.

Not hard to explain Jadeja, Ashwin as to what team wants: Abhishek Nayar

There are teams where it becomes tough for seniors to accept their exclusion from the playing XI at the expense of a junior player but if there are elder statesmen like Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, it is not a hard ask, feels India's assistant coach Abhishek Nayar. Both Jadeja and Ashwin, who have a cumulative wickets tally of 855, were dropped from the playing XI in the opening Test against Australia at Perth, with Washington Sundar, on the basis of current form and batting ability on bouncy tracks, getting the nod. It's not that both were supposed to play but normally Jadeja, because of his batting abilities, has been a sure-shot starter in overseas Test matches. "It's only tough when you have seniors who don't understand it. But when you have seniors like Jaddu and Ash who understand what the team is trying to do, it becomes very easy, because the team first policy is something that Rohit and Gauti bhai believe in," Nayar, a former Mumbai Ranji stalwart, told reporter

Air India transformation is Test match, not T20; more work to do: Campbell

Air India's transformation journey is a cricket Test match and not a T20, and currently, it is like lunch on the third day of a Test match, the airline's Chief Campbell Wilson said on Thursday. Tata Group-owned Air India has embarked on an ambitious five-year transformation plan 'Vihaan.AI' and little over two years of the programme has been completed. "I acknowledge that we are not ultimately where we aspire to be and we have some work to do... There is a reason why Vihaan.AI programme is for five years... We are little over two years... the first years have been a good start," Wilson, who was born in New Zealand and took over the reins of Air India in 2022, said. "It is a Test match and not a T20, we are at about lunch on Day 3," Wilson, the CEO and MD of Air India, said during a select media briefing. A Test match is for five days while a T20 gets completed in less than four hours. Since Tatas took over Air India in January 2022, it has consolidated the airline business -- Air

Is Bumrah the best all-format bowler? Here's what Nasser Hussain said

Former England cricketer Nasser Hussain also lauded the Indian pacer and said he too would be sweating if he had to face Bumrah as a batter.

Gavaskar credits Virat Kohli's stance adjustment for success in Perth

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar feels a subtle adjustment to his batting stance in the second innings of the Perth Test helped Virat Kohli neutralise the Australian attack and rediscover his vintage form. Kohli arrived in Australia after a lean run of form across formats in recent months. His struggles against spin on turning tracks raised doubts about his spot in the team. However, he silenced his detractors by scoring his 30th Test ton in the first Test at Perth. It was his first hundred after the 121 against the West Indies at Port of Spain in July 2023. "His body was completely relaxed when he came into bat in the second innings. In the first innings, because of the fact that India had lost two wickets early, he would have also been under pressure," Gavaskar said on Star Sports. "In that second innings, you could sense apart from changing that stance, I think he also got his legs, which were maybe just a little bit wider at the start. Just a little bit, maybe I'm thinking t

Yashasvi Jaiswal will score more than 40 Test hundreds: Glenn Maxwell

Australia all-rounder Glenn Maxwell believes Yashasvi Jaiswal's ability to adapt to various conditions and minimal weaknesses will see the Indian opener score over 40 Test centuries and rewrite multiple records. Hailed as one of Indian cricket's brightest young talents, the 22-year-old made a dazzling start to his Test career. He cemented his spot in the team with a stunning performance against England earlier this year. "He's (Jaiswal) a guy that will probably get more than 40 Test hundreds, and write some different records. He's got a great ability to adapt to different conditions," Maxwell said on 'The Grade Cricketer' podcast. Playing his first Test Down Under, Jaiswal left an indelible impression with a remarkable 161 in the second innings as India defeated Australia to take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series. His knock in Perth was his fourth century in just 15 Tests. The southpaw has converted each of those tons into a 150+ score. Jaiswal has so far collected 1,568 runs at

Australian selectors not including out-of-form batters in PM's XI vs India

Australian selectors have decided against sending any out-of form national team batters to play for the Prime Minister's XI against India in Canberra, following the hammering in the Perth Test. Hosts Australia were handed a 295-run bashing by India in the series opener of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy earlier this week and following the disappointing performance, the pressure is intensifying on the top order ahead of the second Test against India in Adelaide on December 6. The likes of Marnus Labuschagne (2, 3) and Steve Smith (0, 17) struggled against India and many, including former captain Maichael Clarke, feel the duo, along with reserve batter Josh Inglis, could benefit from the two-day pink-ball warm-up game. However, the Australian think tank has denied thinking on those lines. "This was partly because time at home was considered important for the players, and also because the Australian camp do not want to give the Indian brains trust another look at any of their Test batters

South Africa vs Sri Lanka 1st Test: Playing 11, live timing and streaming

South Africa have already announced their playing 11 for the 1st Test with Temba Bavuma returning after an injury in the team.

IND vs AUS: India records its biggest-ever win over Australia in Australia

India won the Test by 295 runs in Perth despite being all out for 150 in the first innings.

Australia vs India 1st Test playing 11, live timing, IND vs AUS streaming

IND vs AUS Playing 11: Washington Sundar has been picked as a lone spinner. India opted to drop Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin from the Playing 11.

Will captain Jasprit Bumrah be 'under pressure' during IND vs AUS 1st Test?

Six years ago, during his first Test series in Australia, Jasprit Bumrah led India's bowling attack and played a key role in securing the country's first-ever series win Down Under.

'Call me a fast bowler': Bumrah's 150 kmph reply steals show | IND vs AUS

The journalist, probably wishing the floor would open up, got a masterclass not just in cricket but also in speed distinctions.

IND vs AUS 1st Test: Here's what Bumrah said about India's Playing 11

With Shubman Gill ruled out of the opening match, expectations were high regarding what captain Bumrah would say about India's playing XI combination.

IND vs AUS, 1st Test: Nitish Reddy, Harshit Rana make Test debuts in Perth

Electing to bat first in the 1st Test, stand-in skipper Jasprit Bumrah announced that the duo will be featuring for the side in Perth

IND vs AUS 1st Test: KL Rahul's dismissal sparks DRS controversy | WATCH

The moment of contention arrived in the 23rd over of India's innings. A delivery from Hazlewood angled across off-stump, prompting a defensive shot from Rahul

Opener & No. 3 Conundrum: Who will be India's top 3 batters in Perth?

Questions were raised, answers were elusive, and the scars of that series still linger. But now, in Australia's cauldron of hostility, the team has no choice but to rise from the ashes.

IND vs AUS 1st Test preview: All eyes on Kohli as India meet edgy Australia

The nostalgia of Brisbane 2021 refuses to fade but India, still reeling from a bitter home debacle, will be under tremendous pressure when they face an equally circumspect Australia in a battle of two out-of-form batting units in the opening Test of the marquee Border-Gavaskar Trophy, starting here on Friday. In 2018-19 and 2020-21, India proved that lightning can strike twice with back to back series wins but the manner in which New Zealand came, saw and decimated them on home turf recently has certainly hit the psyche of an otherwise world-class unit. The undeniable truth is that some of the stars driving this unit are in the twilight of their hallowed careers. How the five-match rubber against Pat Cummins and his men unfolds could well decide their future. A record third World Test Championship final entry that looked imminent before the start of the New Zealand series, now seems like a distant dream. A 4-0 score-line has become an absolute necessity for India to avoid relying o