Debutant Keaton Jennings cracked a superb century but India fought back to restrict England to 288/5 to end the first day’s action of the fourth Test on even keel at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday.

Jennings, the eighth English batsman to hit a century on debut (112), propelled the visitors to a strong position at 196/2 at tea. But India’s premier spinner Ravinchandran Ashwin (4-69) orchestrated a turnaround in the final session of the day to peg back England.

Jos Butler (18) and Ben Stokes (25) were at the crease at stumps.

Left-arm spiner Ravindra Jadeja (1-60) took the only other wicket to fall at the Wankhede Stadium.

Jennings’ fine effort was complemented by Moeen Ali (50). England skipper Alastair Cook contributed 46.

–IANS

Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow posted half-centuries as England reached 191/6 in their first innings at lunch on the third day of the second cricket Test against India.

Stokes was unbeaten on 55 at the break with Adil Rashid batting on one at the other end at the VDCA Cricket Stadium.

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Stokes has hit eight boundaries off the 129 deliveries he has faced so far.

Bairstow also played a crucial role as the visitors went about their attempt to salvage the innings after losing quick wickets on Friday.

The right-hander scored 53 runs off 152 balls with five hits to the fence before fast bowler Umesh Yadav uprooted his middle stump shortly before lunch.

Brief scores:

England (first innings): 191/6 (Ben Stokes 55 batting, Jonny Bairstow 53; Ravichandran Ashwin 2-53) vs India 455.

IANS

Riding on skipper Virat Kohli’s brilliant century, India posted 317/4 against England on the opening day of the second Test match at the ACA-VDCA cricket stadium on Thursday.

Kohli (151) and Ravichandran Ashwin (1) were at the crease when umpires called the day’s play.
For England, James Anderson scalped three Indian wickets while Stuart Broad took one wicket.

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IANS

Ravichandran Ashwin (6/81) put India in the driver’s seat. Ashwin’s 20th haul of five wickets or more, put India in a commanding position, reaching 18/0 to take an overall lead of 276 runs over New Zealand at stumps on day three of the third and final Test. 

Ashwin led the Indian charge with six wickets and two brilliant run-outs along with left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja (2/80) to bundle out the visitors for a paltry 299 just after the tea break in response to India’s first innings total of 557/5 declared.

Despite taking a huge lead and in a position to enforce the follow on, India skipper Virat Kohli opted to bat for a second time. Opener Murali Vijay (11) and one down Cheteshwar Pujara (1) were at the crease when the umpires decided to unsettle the bails. Pujara had to rush to the middle after veteran opener Gautam Gambhir (6) was forced to return to the pavilion with a shoulder injury.

Playing in his 39th Test, Ashwin ran through the Kiwi top order comprising Tom Latham (52), Kane Williamson (8), Ross Taylor (0), Luke Ronchi (0) and James Neesham (71) besides running out top scorer Martin Guptil (72) and Jeetan Patel (18). He later dismissed tailender Trent Boult (0) to finish things off in style. 

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Jadeja complimented his senior partner well by packing back stumper B.J. Watling (23) and Mitchell Santner (22). Already on the backfoot after losing the series 0-2, the Kiwis got off to a good start with openers Guptill and Latham, who put on 118 runs but ran out of steam once Kohli introduced spin from both ends.

Apart from the opening partnership, Neesham was involved in two vital stands — 53 for the sixth wicket with Watling and 52 for the seventh wicket with Santner but that was not enough to take the visitors anywhere near the Indian total.

Earlier, resuming the day at 28 for no loss, the visitors had just lost the wicket of Latham when Ashwin trapped him plumb in front in the morning session as they went for lunch at 125/1.

The Indians wrested the upper hand early on in the post-lunch session when New Zealand lost three wickets in four overs. The Chennai tweaker picked up his second wicket when Williamson dragged the ball onto his stumps while attempting a cut.

The off-spinner then sent Taylor back to the pavilion in his very next over before a straight drive by Ronchi deflected off his hand to hit the stumps at the non-striker’s end and catch Guptill out of his crease.

Ashwin then picked up his fourth wicket when Ajinkya Rahane showed some excellent fielding at first slip to send back Ronchi. Watling and Neesham then tried to bring the Kiwi innings back on track. But Jadeja found Watling’s outside edge with a delivery that turned away sharply after pitching to put the visitors into further trouble just before the tea break.

After the tea break, it was a one way traffic for India as both the spinners lost little time in taking the remaining four wickets before Kohli opted against enforcing the follow-on.

Eyeing a 3-0 whitewash, India will now aim to consolidate their lead and give a stiff target when they come out to bat.

At stumps, India opener Murali Vijay (11) and Cheteshwar Pujara (1) were at the crease and the hosts had an overall lead of 276 runs.

Veteran opener Gautam Gambhir (6) was forced to return to the pavilion with a shoulder injury.
Earlier, Ashwin led the Indian charge with six wickets and two brilliant run-outs along with left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja (2/80) to bundle out the visitors for a paltry 299 in response to India’s first innings total of 557/5 declared.

Following is the scorecard after the third day’s play of the third and final Test between India and New Zealand:

India 1st innings: 557/5 declared

New Zealand 1st innings:
Martin Guptill run out (Ashwin) 72
Tom Latham c & b Ashwin 53
Kane Williamson b Ashwin 8
Ross Taylor c Rahane b Ashwin 0
Luke Ronchi c Rahane b Ashwin 0
James Neesham lbw b Ashwin 71
B.J. Watling c Rahane b Jadeja 23
Mitchell Santner c Kohli b Jadeja 22
Jeetan Patel run out (Ashwin) 18
Matt Henry not out 15
Trent Boult c Pujara b Ashwin 0
Extras (b 6, lb 5, w 1, pen 5) 17
Total (all out; 90.2 overs) 299

Fall of wickets: 1-118 (Latham, 34.2 ov), 2-134 (Williamson, 42.6 ov), 3-140 (Taylor, 44.5 ov), 4-148 (Guptill, 46.6 ov), 5-148 (Ronchi, 48.1 ov), 6-201 (Watling, 62.6 ov), 7-253 (Santner, 78.6 ov), 8-276 (Neesham, 86.2 ov), 9-294 (Patel, 88.2 ov), 10-299 (Boult, 90.2 ov)

Bowling: Mohammed Shami 13-1-40-0, Umesh Yadav 15-1-55-0, Ravichandran Ashwin 27.2-5-81-6, Ravindra Jadeja 28-5-80-2, Murali Vijay 7-0-27-0

India 2nd innings:
Murali Vijay not out 11
Gautam Gambhir retired hurt 6
Cheteshwar Pujara not out 1
Extras 0
Total (0 wickets; 6 overs) 18

Fall of wickets: 0-11* (Gambhir, retired not out, 2.5 ov)

Bowling : Trent Boult 3-0-9-0, Jeetan Patel 2-0-8-0, Mitchell Santner 1-0-1-0

Opener K L Rahul gave India an aggressive start against the Kiwis at Green Park stadium in Kanpur but fell for 32 off 39 balls. Murali Vijay (39) and Cheteshwar Pujara (34) steadied the Indian innings as at the lunch break the hosts had scored 105 for 1.   

Earlier, Indian skipper Virat Kohli won the toss and elected to bat in the first Test of the three match series against New Zealand .

India in its historic 500th Test is playing with six batsmen, two fast bowlers and two spinners while the visiting New Zealand are playing with three spinners and two fast bowlers.

India has won 10 tests under Kohli’s captaincy.

Teams:

New Zealand : Martin Guptill, Tom Latham, Kane Williamson (captain), Ross Taylor, Luke Ronchi, BJ Watling (wicket keeper), Mitchell Santner, Mark Craig, Neil Wagner, Ish Sodhi, Trent Boult

India: Murli Vijay, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (captain), Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Ravichandran Ashwin, Wriddhiman Saha (wicket keeper), Ravindra Jadeja, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami.

Indian skipper Virat Kohli won the toss and elected to bat in the first Test of the three match series against New Zealand at Green Park stadium here on Thursday.

India in its historic 500th Test is playing with six batsmen, two fast bowlers and two spinners while the visiting New Zealand are playing with three spinners and two fast bowlers.

India has won 10 tests under Kohli’s captaincy.

Teams:

New Zealand : Martin Guptill, Tom Latham, Kane Williamson (captain), Ross Taylor, Luke Ronchi, BJ Watling (wicket keeper), Mitchell Santner, Mark Craig, Neil Wagner, Ish Sodhi, Trent Boult

India: Murli Vijay, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (captain), Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Ravichandran Ashwin, Wriddhiman Saha (wicket keeper), Ravindra Jadeja, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami.

IANS

Not long ago the 5 wise men of Indian cricket met again and picked the team for the upcoming home series against the Kiwis. And if you are one of those who get pregnant with the expectation of controversies every time the selection committee meets , you would have necessarily had an off day, for the selection was more or less in expected lines and devoid of jaw-dropping inclusions or exclusions!

You would probably want to point out the absence of a back-up spinner in the squad, if you want to be very critical, but then you would also know that it’s certainly not a matter worth playing up. Yes, there were a few players hoping to get a look-in with Manish Pandey leading that pack with some compelling performances but only eleven men can take the field!

So, was the selection an absolutely fair and just one? Well, you might have a different view if you are either a member of the ‘Gautam Gambhir Club’ or you belong to the group of people who have lost their patience with the contemporary mystery in Indian cricket, Rohit Sharma!

Rohit ‘Enigma’ Sharma

I have strongly believed that Gautam Gambhir was shown the door at a time when he should have been representing the country in all three formats. Still there is fire left in the diminutive southpaw’s belly and that’s heartening to see! And GG would know that he is running three races simultaneously; one against the younger horses, another against time and perhaps a third one against a few in the establishment itself!

And now on to the most unfulfilled talent in Indian cricket in recent times..If there was no substitute for talent, Rohit Sharma should have been the Usain Bolt of Indian batting! But sadly, he continues to be the Rohit ‘Enigmatic’ Sharma for a frustratingly long period now, breathtakingly sublime one day and despairingly clueless the next, someone who sits on an exasperatingly big heap of undelivered promises! Cricket is a game of glorious uncertainties, one might argue! But on a more serious note, the man himself would know that he is a few notches lower than where he should have been at this point!

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An average of 42.08 in ODIs decorated by two double hundreds and an average of 31.72 in T 20 Internationals is not bad for any player, not at all! To go with it is his stature as one of the ‘IPL legends’! And it’s his performances in the longest format which has disappointed the fans no ends. A test career which had an unusually late start to it given his talent, promised a lot initially but has failed to deliver ever since.

At a time when a lot of cricketers are happy making a living travelling the world wielding their big, broad T 2O bats, it’s also interesting to see many talented young cricketers rate test cricket as their top most priority. Some sound genuine and some, a bit like the swim suit clad beauty pageant contestants claiming Mother Theresa to be their role model! Once touted as the heir to the great Sachin Tendulkar’s throne, anything less than a consistently good performance in test cricket from Rohit was always going to be unacceptable. The flip side of talent, one might say!

Rohit, no longer the ‘next big thing’

Such was his talent and grace when he burst on to the international scene in 2007 that in no time he was seen as the ‘next big thing’ in Indian cricket! He could pull quality pacers over square leg with absolute ease and drive down the ground with class written all over it as we watched – with a mix of joy, appreciation and disbelief! So, where did this incredible talent lose the plot?

Well, it could well be between his ears! And that’s perhaps the reason why Rohit also saw the second in the list of the ‘next big thing’ eclipsing him to be the superstar of Indian cricket! Virat Kohli, at some point in the past few years, seemed to have done something which allowed him to productively channelise his energy and aggression which had once threatened to consume him! Rohit, on the other hand, seems to be content taking things as they come!

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To conclude, there are divided opinions on Rohit Sharma’s selection. Some look at it as a fair call of a supreme talent being given an extended run where as a few others feel he is in also because he has the knack of finding himself on the right side of the right people! But there is little doubt even in the minds of his hardest critics that should Rohit manage to beckon his talent at the right opportunity, there are very few players around more valuable than him!

My crazy imagination likens him to someone who reaches the airport well in time for his travel, goes through the formalities smoothly and somehow manages to miss the flight despite having a business class boarding pass! This could just be the last and final test call for Rohit Sharma. And let’s hope he boards comfortably this time! And that would be great news for Indian cricket!

Team India is starting its West Indies tour with a two-day practice match in St. Kitts. Result wise, the game is less significant, but it will surely give the newly-appointed coach Anil Kumble a good look at his squad. Kumble would be hoping to use this series to lay a solid foundation for tougher series coming ahead, and inject his philosophy into the team.

The team management will be keeping a close eye on players like Mohammad Shami, Shikhar Dhawan, and KL Rahul. Shami is coming back from an injury, while Dhawan and Thakur will be aiming to gain confidence of the management. Dhawan, in particular, has plenty at stake, seeing his dismal form, as Rahul is knocking on the door for a regular spot in the playing XI.

More or less, India’s playing XI for the series opener in Antigua is final, but the management will get a chance of testing reserve players in practice matches. Shardul Thakur, Stuart Binny, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Rohit Sharma will be looking forward to cash in the opportunities.

Batting, again, India’s strong point

The Indian team has the likes of Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Murali Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan in the batting line-up, and players like KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma waiting for their turn. India’s batting lineup currently looks solid, if not more. The sub-continent-like conditions of the Caribbean are for them to exploit. It won’t be a surprise if they end by pilling huge runs in the series.

Indian team is unlikely to make any change in the batting-order, Murali Vijay, Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara and Kohli, followed by Rahane. Rahul, who is in sublime touch at the moment, and Rohit Sharma will be fighting for a place if the Indian captain decided to field six specialist batsmen, which is very unlikely of him. It will put pressure on Dhawan to perform, and if he does, Pujara’s performance will be under scrutiny.

Finding the right bowling combination

This is the most challenging job both Kumble and Kohli have in their hands. Kohli’s style of play is fielding five regular bowlers, but when Kumble used to play he was a part of a four-bowler attack. It will be interesting to see the bowling combination India will be heading against the Windies. Going by Kohli’s style of play, India will be playing with Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav and Mohammed Shami.

Shami’s fitness will be under scrutiny, while Ishant will be a little rusty, after spending some time away from the field. Amit Mishra, Bhuvneshwar, Thakur and Binny will be aiming to use the practice matches to stamp themselves as able replacements. Kohli is likely to field two spinners – Jadeja and Ashwin – seeing lately the conditions have favored spinners in the Caribbean Islands.

For players, the practice matches will be vital to know the conditions and get used to the playing surfaces of the Caribbean. But for Kohli and Kumble, it will be important to know his players, and get the combination right, from the first match itself. They both know that there is plenty at stake, including the Test rankings, in this series, and they will be targeting nothing less than a series win.

The Indian cricket team reached West Indies on Thursday after a very long flight. A young Team India,  led by Virat Kohli, will play four Test matches against the hosts West Indies. The first Test  will be played at Antigua from July 21. We capture the entire journey from boarding the bus in Mumbai to the players’ hitting the beach at St Kitts.