BY SACNILK

There seems no end of India's batting woes in the Test series in England. After losing the first Test by a small margin of 31-runs in Edgbaston, India's struggle with the bat continued in the second Test at Lords Cricket Ground, London.## After the day one of the second Test completely washed out due to rain, it took only 35.2 overs to England to bowled out India on 107 on another rain-interrupted day two. England's bowlers led by James Anderson's 5 for 20 took full advantage of overcast conditions.## Former West Indies' captain Clive Lloyd said that India should play ugly cricket to be successful in these conditions. One of the greatest captains of all time was speaking to ET and had plenty to say about India's batting and personally about Virat Kohli.## Excerpts :## When the conditions are all stacked in favour of the bowlers, what do you do as a batsman?## You bat ugly. That’s what you need to do and also hope that you have the luck on your side. It isn’t easy to bat in these conditions, especially when a bowler like James Anderson is bowling at you. But as a batsman you have to tell yourself that you will be patient, you will take blows on your body, you will be prepared to play and miss and yet not give your wicket away. Virat Kohli did exactly that at Edgbaston. He was not great to look at but he was hugely effective. That’s what you want from your best player and that’s what you need from your other batsmen.## Are you implying that Virat is a few notches higher in comparison to the other batsmen?## He is a rockstar. A player of tremendous quality but that doesn’t mean the others aren’t good enough or can’t stand out there and help out the captain. You needed one more man to bat ugly to win the Test at Edgbaston. One man to just tell himself that comes what I will not get out. It is a question of resolve and determination. Of courage and conviction. Cricket isn’t an easy sport and these conditions are as difficult as they can ever be. But that’s where you need to excel as a batsman to qualify as a great. Virat has done that and that’s what I am trying to tell you.## Coming to Virat the leader. You have been the most successful cricket captain of all time. How do you look at Virat as captain?## I like his style and like seeing him conduct himself as captain. Every captain is different and will have his own style. I had once asked Malcolm Marshall, who had a broken hand if he would still risk playing? Marshall did and got five wickets for me. Will Virat do the same of his players? Maybe not. The question that is of paramount importance here is how much trust the players have in Virat and vice-versa. I can say my players trusted me wholeheartedly and I did the same with each and every one of them. You can never be a successful captain and get the best out of your team if you don’t trust each other to the fullest. That’s what Virat will have to do as captain — get his players to trust him with their life. I see a lot of potential in him and I hope he will get better with time.## If you were in Virat’s position, would you have played your premier bowlers in the IPL or would you speak to the BCCI and withdraw them from the IPL to keep them fresh for the 2019 World Cup?## I have a very straightforward answer for you. The nation comes first. India comes first. IPL will come every year. If Virat and the management feels you need a certain bowler and the IPL may exhaust him or burn him out, you have to ensure he doesn’t play the IPL in World Cup year. Arthur Ashe once came to Melbourne and seeing 90,000 people in the stadium said to me, you guys must be millionaires. I said we get $500 per game.## Modern players make enough money and there is every reason that they should. But when it is a toss-up between the World Cup and the IPL and when you know you might not be at your best for the World Cup, you have to sacrifice franchise cricket. If you win the World Cup for your country you will qualify in the category of a cricketing legend. No number of franchise league wins can get you up there.## India is 1-0 down in 5-match series. To win this Test series, India will have bat well in rest of the remaining matches. Apart from skipper Virat Kohli, no other Indian batsmen looked to score runs against England's bowling attack in the first Test and resulted in, they failed to chase down 194 and lost the match by 31-runs.## For more updates and news, stay tuned to us.## Thanks for the reading

BY SACNILK

Indian team is facing criticism by the former players after the loss of Edgbaston Test. In the list, former England's captain and commentator Nasser Hussain feels that India is a bit 'undercooked' for the five-match Test series. Earlier, he questioned Virat Kohli's captaincy a day after the conclusion of the first Test and had said that Kohli should take the responsibility for the loss.## Hussain questioned their decision to reduce the sole warm-up match to three days instead of the scheduled four. He asserted that lack of preparation as well as the team management's dubious decision to exclude Cheteshwar Pujara resulted in their struggles against the moving ball in Edgbaston.## However, despite the poor batting show, Hussain still feels that India will be competitive in upcoming matches even though he predicts the series scoreline 3-2 in favor of England. Speaking to India Today ahead of the second match at the iconic Lord's Cricket Ground, Nasser Hussain said,## "3-2 is what I had predicted before a ball went down, (it will still be) 3-2 in favor of England. I don't think there'll be any draws."## The second match of the 5-match will be played at the iconic Lord's Cricket Ground, London where India had happy memories. Last time when India toured this part of the world in 2014, they registered a memorable victory at Home of the cricket.## On the other hand, England has lost five Test out of their last ten appearance at this ground. Unlike the last time, London is facing the extreme heatwave which means the pitch will be dry and there will not be much swing for the pacers. Hussain opined that the Indian batsmen would find it much easier than at Edgbaston.## "It will be a good pitch at the Lord's. I don't think the ball will do as much as it did at Edgbaston so that will help the Indian batsmen a little bit. But, there's the slope at the Lord's and there's always a little bit of movement. It will also spin a little bit. The side playing better cricket would be important.## "Conditions play a part but if India had been a little smarter and taken their catches in the first game, you would be talking about one-nil down for England and everyone will be nailing England at the moment. So both sides have their problems," he said.## India will be hoping a much better performance with the bat than Edgbaston at the Lord's, London in the second Test starting Thursday, August 9.## For more update and news, stay tuned to us.## Thanks for the reading.

BY SACNILK

India may have lost the first Test against England in Edgbaston, Birmingham but limited overs wicketkeeper-batsman Mahendra Singh Dhoni feels that India will bounce back strongly in upcoming matches.## In the first Test match, it was India's batting that let the team down. However, skipper Virat Kohli looked in sublime touch and scored 149 & 51 and he took India very close to win but couldn't get over the line. On the other hand, bowlers did a very good job for India and bowled out England in both the innings. Therefore, Dhoni feels that India can compete in five-match series.## "To win a Test match you need 20 wickets. And we did that. That's all I will say. It doesn't matter how well you bat and how well you are there for five days but if you take 20 wickets, you can win a Test match," he said at an event in Mumbai.## Despite the loss, Kohli stood out as alone warrior and almost won the game for his side. The former captain Dhoni was all praise for Kohli when he was asked about him climbing at the top of ICC's individual ranking list.## "Virat is the best. He has reached a status where he is close to legend status. I am very happy for him. The way he has batted everywhere and the last few years he has been brilliant taking the team forward. That's what you want from a leader. All the best to him and very well done," he said.## Keep in mind, Virat Kohli is the first batsman since Sachin Tendulkar after 2011 and overall seventh Indian to reach on the top of the ICC Test batting rankings. He also became the highest rating points getter among the Indian batsman of all time. He has now 934 points and 18 points more than Sunil Gavaskar.## Meanwhile, on the other hand, Dhoni last seen in recently concluded 3-match ODI series against England. Now he will be seen in Asia Cup which will be played in next month in UAE. India is defending champions of Asia Cup and will look to retain the title.## For more updates and news about Cricket, stay tuned to us.## Thanks for the reading.

BY SACNILK

India's skipper Virat Kohli displaced Australia's Steve Smith and becomes the No.1 Test batsman in latest MRFTyres ICC Test Rankings updated on Sunday, August 5. Kohli has now 934 points, 5 more than second-placed Smith.## Kohli now becomes the seventh Indian batsman, and first since Sachin Tendulkar in June 2011, to climb to the top of the rankings. He reached to this milestone after the knock of 149 & 51 in the first Test against England concluded on Saturday, August 4 at Edgbaston, Birmingham. However, his remarkable effort went in vain as England won the match by 31-runs.## Apart from Kohli and Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Gautam Gambhir, Sunil Gavaskar, Virender Sehwag and Dilip Vengsarkar are the other India batsmen to have achieved number-one rankings during their careers.## Before the first Test match, Kohli had 903 points and was behind Smith with 26 points. But Smith isn't playing international cricket and will not be playing till March 2019 due to a 12-month suspension imposed by Cricket Australia for his part in the Newlands ball-tampering saga.## Apart from Kohli, England's Sam Curran is another big mover in both batsmen and bowlers rankings. The 20-year old scored 24 runs and 4-wickets in the first innings and a match-winning 63 runs and 1 wicket in the second innings and therefore, he jumped from 152nd to 72nd spot in batting charts while the bowling table has seen him rise 49 places to 62nd position.## India's Mohammed Shami slipped two places to 19th in bowlers table while England's Stuart Broad fall one place to 13th. James Anderson has managed to hold his No.1 position.## Latest ICC Test rankings for batsmen:## 1. Virat Kohli (IND) 934 Points## 2. Steve Smith (AUS) 929 Points## 3. Joe Root (ENG) 865 Points## 4. Kane Williamson (NZ) 847 Points## 5. David Warner (AUS) 820 Points## 6. Cheteshwar Pujara (IND) 791 Points## 7. Dimuth Karunaratne (SL) 754 Points## 8. Dinesh Chandimal (SL) 733 Points## 9. Dean Elgar (SA) 724 Points## 10. Aiden Markram (SA) 703 Points## Latest ICC Test rankings for bowlers:## 1. James Anderson (ENG) 884 Points## 2. Kagiso Rabada (SA) 882 Points## 3. Ravindra Jadeja (IND) 857 Points## 4. Vernon Philander (SA) 826 Points## 5. Ravichandran Ashwin(IND) 825 Points## 6. Pat Cummins (AUS) 800 Points## 7. Trent Boult (NZ) 795 Points## 8. Rangana Herath (SL) 791 Points## 9. Neil Wagner (NZ) 765 Points## 10. Josh Hazlewood (AUS) 759 Points## For more and latest news about Cricket, stay tuned to us.## Thanks for the reading.

BY SACNILK

When Day 4 play resumed of the Edgbaston Test, India were needed 84 runs to win with five wickets in hand. The conditions wasn't easy for the batsmen as it were offering a lot to the bowlers. However, Irrespective of the conditions India's camp was hopeful to win this Test as world's best batsman, Virat Kohli was still at the crease on 43* with Dinesh Karthik at the other end on 18*.## As the game resume, only on the 4th ball of the day, Karthik got out off James Anderson to wicket-keeper Jonny Bairstow. He could add only two more runs to his account. Hardik Pandya came to the crease with positive intent and played a few shots with right frame of mind. On the other hand, Kohli reached past his fifty with a boundary.## The biggest turning point came in the 46th over of the innings whene Ben Stokes dismissed Virat Kohli soon after reaching the half-century. As Kohli was going back, India's hopes were also seems to be gone. Two balls later Kohli's dismissal, Mohammed Shami also got out in the same over. From now, the win was looking far away and in 54th over, India bowled out on 162 to handed England a 31-run win. If India lose this match it is because of the poor shot selection from the their top order that increased the pressure on Virat Kohli. He stood alone in both the innings and aggregated 200 runs (149 & 51) in this match for his side but his effort went in vain.## on the other hand, if India could come so close to win because of their bowlers who bowled out England in both the innings. If Ravichandran Ashwin was a star in the first innings (4 wickets), Ishant Sharma stood out in the second innings with a 5-fer. But it were the batsmen who let slipped the game from their hand.## However, Ashwin went on to defend batsmen after their poor show with bat. He was talking to media in post-match press conference. He said that despite the lose, they competed really well.## "I think this is a game where we would have liked to finish on the winning side. No doubt about it but there are a lot of things we can feel proud of at the end of this game, it's a long Test series so to feel defeated or pained so early on in the series is unfair and at the moment it is all about the feelings that I am bringing out, and I don't feel that bad about it as of now because I thought we competed really well and made two comebacks and probably didn't close out the game when the initiative was on our side. That's something that can happen when you are traveling so we are upbeat about it.## "Like Virat keeps mentioning, when you make runs and pick up wickets, you want to make sure that it is a killer blow and you want to end up on the winning side. It gives you more pleasure out of the game and when it doesn't happen you feel a little deflated about it. But as I told you before, this game was like a see-saw battle and there was enough in there for the quicks and it was doing quite a bit. So they were always in the game and you do expect batsmen to get a ball that has their name on it. So with that sort of a game hedging on the balance, I thought we competed really well through the game. There are a lot of things to be upbeat about so not completely feeling deflated and in this space I feel like we did well and there is something we can learn going ahead in this series," Ashwin said.## On his personal perspective, Ashwin himself has plenty of reasons to be proud of. He turned in a superlative performance with the ball, ending with seven wickets in the match.## "For me, it's all about this mental space I find myself in. I don't dwell much into the way I have bowled, it is in the past as of now. It is important to try and learn from this game and take it to the next game. These are not conditions that are extremely suitable or tailor made for a spinner so I would like to take confidence out of this game and try and move ahead and build on this." he added.## For more updates and news, stay tuned to us.## Thanks for the reading.

BY SACNILK

In England's 1000th Test match, skipper Joe Root and wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow were taking the game away from India before Ravichandran Ashwin (4 for 60) and Mohammed Shami (2 for 64) fired back on England and left them with 285-9 from 216-3 at the close of the day one of the first of the 5-match series.## Ashwin was the star with the ball. He first gets the opener Alastair Cook with a beauty before getting Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, and Stuart Broad. He mixed the variations in his bowling that helped him getting those wickets. Mohammed Shami supported Ashwin with a tight spell at the other end.## Earlier in the day, it was Joe Root who had won the toss opted to bat first on a damp pitch. Cook and Keaton Jennings opened the innings for England. Both the batsmen paid Umesh Yadav and Ishant Sharma well as there was not much movement from the pitch. Skipper Virat Kohli was quick to understand that the pitch is not offering much to the pacers, and he put Ashwin in the bowling in just 6th over. He proved the decision right in his just second over as he bowled out Cook on the score of 25. Cook made 13.## After the dismissal of Cook, Jennings and Root took the charge. Both the batsmen put on a 72-run stand for the second wicket before Shami got Jennings. Jennings was unlucky to get out as the ball took inside edge of his bat before hitting on to his bat and to the stumps. He played a good 42-run inning. David Malan also fall cheaply to Shami as he couldn't hold Shami's fast inswinger and got LBW out after scoring just 8 runs.## However, Root and Bairstow didn't allow India to take control of the game and safely took the game on to Tea break with 163 for 3. After the Tea break, both the batsmen attacked on the bowlers and runs started flowing. When things were looking good for England and miserable for India, a direct throw from Virat Kohli dismissed Root after scoring brilliant 80. Root's wicket was the turning point of the day one as England lose the tempo after that. Bairstow who was well set went for an expensive cut to Umesh Yadav and chopped on. He played a quick knock of 70.## England's new vice-captain, Jos Buttler came to the crease and did last long only for two balls as Ashwin got him LBW on a flighted delivery. Ben Stokes also couldn't hold for long and became Ashwin's third victim of the day. Sam Curran and Adil Rashid added 35 for the 8th wickets before Ishant Sharma collects his 1st wicket of the day by dismissing Rashid on 13. Stuart Broad was the last man of the day to be dismissed as he became a 4th victim of Ashwin. Curran and James Anderson safely negotiated rest of the remaining day as England finish on 285 for 9 at the stumps.## Earlier in the day on the toss, India surprisingly left out Cheteshwar Pujara from the final playing XI and played with three specialist openers, Murali Vijay, KL Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan.## For more updates and news, stay tuned to us.## Thanks for the reading.

BY SACNILK

Not every time when a sub-continent team play in overseas conditions and start the series with a slight advantage. India, the No.1 Test side in the world will look to capitalize on England's recent struggles in the longest format of the game.## However, the things won't be easy for India as their past record isn't good in English conditions. Their last two series in England in 2011 and 2014 weren't something that India can proud. They lost both the series with 4-0 and 3-1 respectively.## But this time around, things could be different as conditions are very much favorable for India. In this season of summer when the pitches are usually dry, Indian team is must be feeling like home. They will be thinking that this is their best chance to win the series in England also knowing that England is not in the best of form in this format.## This is a long series where things can change quickly. India's skipper Virat Kohli while speaking in a pre-match press conference also believes that long series gives opportunities to turn the things around and said that this is something that they are looking forward to.## "The fact this is a long series is something we are looking forward to. It gives you a lot of opportunities during the course of the whole series," Kohli said. "There are two ways to think about this - either it's too long a series to play or think there are so many opportunities to come up every session, every Test match. We are definitely in a good frame of mind. It's a young team who have played a lot of matches. It's a very rare combination to find. We are comfortable with where we stand as a team and we are pretty confident of our abilities. We have to the skill sets, character and mental toughness which is required to compete and win in overseas conditions," Kohli said## Despite been confident, Kohli stressed the need to stay mentally fresh and focussed throughout the next six weeks. Point to be noted that this is the same thing Ajinkya Rahane had said a day before.## "This is a five-match series and not a two or three-match series where if things go wrong in one match, desperation sinks in. In such a long series, you can be patient enough to turn things around. From that point of view, all of us are relaxed. Bowling, batting and even in terms of fielding, everyone is in a good space now."## "You need to make sure that all the players and the management are on the same page. Especially when you have a long series and you know it's going to be challenging, you cannot afford to have individuals who are drifting away with their mindset. We keep speaking about it regularly. It's a small thing that changes the mindset. When you take an adverse situation as an opportunity than something to be feared of, it totally changes the mindset. That's constantly what we speak about. And to understand that, the challenge comes in when the situation is not going your way...that's when composure comes in," Kohli added.## Long series' are always been beneficial. It does not only provide opportunities to fight back but also gives the option to try different combinations. India will really look to take an advantage of this as they are looking to use Kuldeep Yadav. If this happens then anyone from Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja could have sit on the bench. The same can happen with Pujara and Dhawan (at least for one or two games) as they didn't look in best of their touch in the warm-up game.## "You always come up with situations when you're playing such long seasons that you have scenarios. Along with the management, you have to sit down and take a call. It all boils down to your gut feeling. If five people on the table agree that this is the right thing to do for the team, then we go ahead with that, there are no ifs and buts. There's no looking back. If we take a decision today we're not going to sit down tomorrow and say, 'Oh we could have done that.' We don't act like that.## "That's why we've been pushing forward as a team. We've not held on to decisions we've made. Once we've made them we don't look back at them, even if they come off or not. They're taken in the best interests of the team at that particular time; there are total honesty and total ownership all around the squad. That's the mindset behind it. In Test cricket what matters is the balance of the squad: that's the most crucial thing," Kohli said.## Apart from the team's success, Virat Kohli will want to improve his record in English conditions. Last time when India toured England, Kohli struggled throughout the 5-match series. In 10 innings he only managed to score 133 with an average of below 15. But since then, he has been in fine touch. He will be hoping to things turn around for him this time.## For more updates and news, stay tuned to us.## Thanks for the reading.

BY SACNILK

There was a time when India always struggled in overseas conditions due to lack of variety in pace bowling. Despite one or two good fast bowlers, India hadn't the bowlers who could take 20 wickets in a Test match. But this time around, India have the pacers who can trouble any opposition on any surface with their pace and bounce.## Since 2016, the pacers have taken a total of 175 wickets in 23 Tests, at an average of 27.01. The stats becomes even more special because out of 23, 20 matches have been played in sub-continent conditions that doesn't offer much for the fast bowlers. The pacers have established why they are now a more menacing unit.## Ajinkya Rahane, the vice-captain of India also believes that India's pace bowlers are experienced enough to deal with overseas conditions. He had all praise for the pacers in pre series press conference on Monday, July 30.## "Our pace bowlers are very experienced. Shami and Umesh were here in 2014 as well. They've been doing so well for us, not only in India but outside as well.## "In South Africa, we got 60 wickets... our fast bowlers bowled really well. It is a challenge to bowl in England but I'm really confident about them -- not only Umesh and Shami but Ishant, who came here and played some county games. We have Jasprit Bumrah as well. We have an attack that can disrupt opponents. But yes, it will be a challenge for them to bowl patiently and bowl in the right areas for a long period of time," Rahane said.## India pace bowling has grown richer over the past two years. However, spinners ruled the roost but the pacers invariably impressed. In the series against South Africa in South Africa earlier this year, India's pacers combined to take 50 wickets in three Tests. Jasprit Bumrah, despite been new in Test cricket, troubled South African with his pace and bounce along with Mohammad Shami, Ishant Sharma and Bhuvneshwar Kumar.## However, Rahane also advised to the pacers to be the patience depite been the England pitches are helpful for the fast bowlers.## "There is always help for bowlers in England, but that doesn't mean it is easier for the bowlers. They need to be patient in these conditions and bowl in the good areas. "They have to back their own skills and instead of trying to take wickets from both ends if they one bowlers can play the support role well then it will lead to wickets. To bowl patiently and on spot is crucial to success.## "It is a great opportunity for the bowlers to prove that we can take 20 wickets in a Test match consistently, like we had done in South Africa. Nobody expected us to take 20 wickets in all three Test matches. At the same time, they should not put extra pressure on themselves and they should just look to enjoy the moment. They need to back themselves and believe that our bowling unit is the best in the world," Rahane said.## Not only Ajinkya Rahane, England's former captain and opener Alastair Cook also has praised India's pacers in pre series press conference.## "They seem to have got a good variety of bowlers - pace bowlers, which is probably unusual, and strength in depth in their pace bowling." Cook said.## However, there could be the selection headache for skipper Virat Kohli ahead of the first Test in the absence of Bhuvenshwar Kumar (at least for the first three Tests) and Bumrah (at least for the first). Bhuvneshwar Kumar was the man of the series in 2014 and despite been good pacers, his absence could hurt India in the first three matches.## The five-match series will kick-start from August 1.## For more updates and news, stay tuned to us.## Thanks for the reading.

BY SACNILK

Before the County season, who would have thought that Cheteshwar Pujara will struggle to find his place in India's Test playing XI. The questions are again raising on his technic in overseas conditions after his poor runs in County cricket for Yorkshire. He struggled in seaming conditions whole the season.## In 12 innings played for Yorkshire, he could manage only 172 runs with an average of 14.33, and went past 40 only on one occasion during his stint with Yorkshire. He also failed to make runs in India's warm-up match against Sussex. On the other hand, KL Rahul knocking at the door with much better performance, Pujara will be feeling vulnerable for his place in the playing XI.## However, Yorkshire’s director of Cricket, Martyn Moxon don't think that Pujara has any technical concerns. He said that behind Pujara's poor runs in County, conditions were very difficult for the batsmen. In an interview with The Indian Express on Saturday, July 28, Martyn Moxon provides his assessment of Pujara’s disappointing run.## Excerpts:## How do you assess Pujara’s time with Yorkshire this time round?## In the four-day stuff, he obviously didn’t get the volume of runs that we would have expected or we would have liked. He actually did really well for us in 50-over cricket. But at the start of the year, he had a couple of poor LBW decisions and ran himself out as well. That didn’t help him with his rhythm getting into the season. There was so much rain in the early part of the season when he played. The pitches were very seamer-friendly, so it was not easy for anybody to bat long to be honest. There’s a bit of reasoning behind him not scoring the runs. The pitches were a little bit tricky.## He’s been out in all sorts of fashion this season. Did you see something that would concern technique-wise, like last time you worked on his balance, ensuring his head doesn’t fall over the off-side?## No, there’s nothing in particular from the technique point of view. His alignment and balance were fine this time. He worked extremely hard on his game. He was the model professional in that respect. He just didn’t get going. There were times when you thought, this is the day he’s going to go and make a big one. But then he found a way of getting himself out. He’s as frustrated as we were, but there wasn’t anything technical to be bothered about.## What’s really stoked concern over his form is that he was getting out to the seamers a lot while poking at the ball rather than playing it late.## I don’t think so. It was just the moving ball. You look at the scores around the country in that period, there weren’t many batsmen scoring a lot of runs. Since, Pujara played Championship cricket for us, we’ve had a heatwave. There may be less sideways movement during the Test series than what he encountered in county cricket this year.## In his innings against Surrey in Scarborough, he took 42 balls to get off the mark and it looked like he got stuck and was putting a lot of pressure on himself. Did you see it that way too?## It was just the conditions again. From our point of view, he was working extremely hard. Surrey had a good attack and didn’t give him anything to score of. It was the quality of their bowling as opposed to anything Pujara could have done. And then the surprising thing I suppose in that particular game was he’d got through all that hard-work and got to about 20, and then got out caught off an off-spinner. It was an inside-edge on to his pad, caught bat-pad. It was an unusual way for him to get out. It was normally the time where you think he would cash in. But that knock kind of summed up his time with us really.## Unlike in 2016, he was coming off a grand season or two with the bat. Was it a more confident Pujara who showed up this time around?## He was just the same. He is a perfect gentleman. A hardworking professional cricketer and very popular in the dressing-room. That didn’t change at all. There’s a great fondness for Pujara in our dressing-room.## There has been a lot of talk and critique about Pujara’s strike-rate over the last 18 months. Was that something that would bother you about his batting?## At the end of the day it’s how many runs you score, isn’t it? That’s what you are judged on as a batsman. For us, one of the reasons we signed Pujara was that we know he’s going to make the bowlers earn his wicket. He’s not going to give it away. A lot of modern players like to dominate and take the attacking option. Sometimes, there’s a fine line between being attacking and careless. And what we like about Pujara is the value he puts on his wicket. To try and hopefully be someone our more aggressive players could bat around if you like. It didn’t quite work out that way but his style of play was the reason behind him coming in.## Did he have a word with him?## Pujara himself said he was disappointed that he didn’t get the volume of runs in the County Championship. He said ‘I’m really sorry but I tried my best.’ And we knew that. There’s no denying that he gave everything he had. But it didn’t quite work out. He knows that, everybody knows that.## Putting you on the spot here. Would he be in your India playing XI for the first few Tests?## (Laughs) I’m not going to tell the Indian selectors who they should or should not pick. Pujara is a quality player. But I’ve got enough challenges here as it is to get involved with the Indian team selection.## For more updates and news, stay tuned to us.## Thanks for the reading.

BY SACNILK

India A and Under-19 teams' coach legendary Rahul Dravid feels that A team tour before the national team tours is good for the players and the selectors to see whether they can perform or not.## Dravid was speaking to BCCI.tv on Sunday, July 22.## He said that Boards should organise A team tours along with national team tours. He believes that organising such tours could be beneficial for both the team and the players.## India A team is in England since mid-June. They played a tri-series involving West Indies and England Lions before playing 3 unofficial 4-day matches, two against Windies A and an against England Lions. Against England Lions, India's two regular Test batsmen were also the part of the A-side.## "It is a great idea to have shadow tours. It may not be always possible, but whenever it is possible, it is highly beneficial. A lot of players have joined the national side from this team. It also gave an opportunity to Ajinkya Rahane and M Vijay to come down and spend time with us and play a practice game that was competitive and tough.## "Having the India A team tour before the national side opens up many possibilities in terms of preparations for both the sides. It also serves as motivation for many players, for they know when they do well on A tours, they will be picked in the national team," Dravid said.## "We are now organizing more A tours and it gives them an opportunity and also the selectors an opportunity to look at them and rotate the squad. For me, the A tours are a step up from domestic cricket. It is really a good barometer for them and the selectors to see whether they can perform or not.## "If they don't do well it is still a good opportunity to learn and go back to domestic cricket and work on the things they need to. It is a very good buffer to have in between, as you don't get exposed at the Test level. It gives a very good test of where these boys are and an understanding of the skills that need to be worked on both in bowling and batting," he added.## Rahul Dravid talked about the wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant who recently received his maiden Test call-up for the first 3-matches against England. He was the part of India A side and played some really good hands in tri-series and the 4-days match. He played against his natural attacking style which was highly demanding in tough England's conditions.## "Rishabh was quite excellent on the tour. He is obviously a very talented player. He showed in three or four innings that he was willing to bat differently. We all know the way he bats. Even in the 2017-18 Ranji Trophy season when he got over to 900 runs his S/R was 100 plus and we have seen him bat similarly in the IPL as well. On this trip, we challenged him a lot to bat according to the situation. He got a critical 64 (not out) in the one-day final when he was the last recognized batsman and also against West Indies A when he put on a 100-run partnership with Jayant Yadav.## "He showed that he could bat differently. He has the temperament and skills to bat differently. He is always going to be an attacking player but reading of the situation when you are playing red ball cricket is required. We are glad he has been picked in the national team and I hope he takes this maturity into the national team and hopefully builds from thereon," Dravid said.## India is scheduled to play 5-match Test series against England which will kick start from August 1.## For more updates and news, stay tuned to us.## Thanks for the reading.

BY SACNILK

Swashbuckling left-hander Delhi's Rishabh Pant has received his maiden Test call-up as the BCCI announced an 18-man squad for the first 3-matches of the 5-match test series against England on Wednesday, July 18. Kuldeep Yadav also included in the squad while Wriddhiman Saha continues to miss out owing to a thumb injury sustained during the IPL. Bhuvneshwar Kumar also missed out due to back injury.## Rishabh Pant currently is the part of India A side for the 4-day match against England Lions in England. He had done well against West Indies A recently where he played a match-winning knock of 67* in a chase of 321 against the Caribbean side in Taunton. The 20-year old was also among the top run-getters in the recently concluded Indian Premier League where he struck 684 runs in 14 matches.## Karun Nair also able to retain his spot from Afghanistan Test. He is leading India A against England Lions. He played the knocks of 93 and 55 in two of his four innings against West Indies A. Dinesh Karthik retained his spot as a replacement of Saha.## BCCI named a strong bowling attack for the series against England. Mohammed Shami returns to the India Test team, having been left out of the squad for the Afghanistan Test after failing the yo-yo test. Apart from Shami, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah and Shardul Thakur also included in the squad.## Including the two wicketkeepers, India has ten frontline batting options along with the all-around abilities of Hardik Pandya. Kuldeep Yadav, who finished as the team's leading wicket-taker in the white-ball formats, joins R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja in the spin department.## India Squad For First Three Tests:## Virat Kohli (C), Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, M Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane (VC), Karun Nair, Dinesh Karthik (WK), Rishabh Pant, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Shardul Thakur.## For more updates and news, stay tuned to us.## Thanks for the reading.

BY SACNILK

England showed why they are a No.1 ODI team in the world after the clinical performance in the last and final ODI against India. They beat India comprehensively by 8 wickets and won the series by 2-1 at Headingley, Leeds on Tuesday, July 17. Thanks to a brilliant 100* off 112 balls from Joe Root and 88* off 108 from skipper Eion Morgan.## In a must-win game for both sides, England had won the toss and opted India to bat first. On a pitch where the ball was holding a bit, Indian opener Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan found it difficult to score runs. in this process, Rohit Sharma after facing 18 balls dismissed to David Willey. He could score only 2 runs. In the first 10 0vers, India could manage only 32 for 1.## However, Shikhar Dhawan played some brilliant shots once he got set along with skipper Virat Kohli who gone past 3000 runs in ODIs as a captain. When both the batsmen were looking all set, a misunderstanding between the wicket resulted in Shikhar Dhawan run out after scoring good 44 off 49 balls. They added 71 runs off 72 balls for the second wicket.## India promoted Dinesh Karthik at No.4 who came in the side for KL Rahul. He looked good and open his account with a four. In this process, Virat Kohli reached to his 48th one day half century off 55 balls. both the batsmen added 41 off 40 balls before Adil Rashid clean bowled Dinesh Karthik after scoring 21 off 22 balls.## Once the ball gets old it became difficult to score runs against spinners. A beauty from Adil Rashid dismissed Virat Kohli who was marching towards his 36th hundred. later in that over, Suresh Raina also got out in the leg slip after scoring only 1 off 4 balls. india lost five-wicket on 158 after 31 overs.## Dhoni slowly but tickle the scoreboard along with Hardik Pandya. Both scored 42 and 21 respectively. In the end, a cameo from Shardul Thakur (22* off 13) and an important 21 off 35 balls from Bhuvneshwar Kumar take India to 256 after 50 overs. It wasn't the score India would have hoped but was a fighting.## england bowled really well as Adil Rashid was the pickup bowler for them. He conceded 49 runs and picked 3 wickets in his 10 overs spell. David Willey also bowled well and picked 3 for 40in 9 overs. Mark wood who troubled both Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan initially, finished his spell with 10-2-30-1.## In reply of 257, England off to a flier, scored 43 off just 28 balls before Jonny Bairstow got out to Thakur after scoring 30 off 13 balls. At the score of 74, James Vince got run out after he made run a ball 27. Fall of Vince, skipper Eion Morgan came at the crease. He and Root didn't give any chance to India to came back in the game. They played their biggest threat Kuldeep Yadav really well, in fact, they dominate India's both wrist spinners Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal.## India looked clueless against Morgan and Root. Both the batsmen took Indian bowlers all around the park as they chased down the target with 33 balls to spare. indian bowling looked very ordinary throughout the innings. Shardul Thakur was the only wicket-taker for India. He conceded 51 runs in 10 overs. Chahal was economical but that wasn't enough to restrict England.## Rashid awarded Man Of The Match for his brilliant bowling while Root named Man Of The Seies for showing excellent performance in the series. Keep in mind, India had won the 3-match T20I series held before the ODI series. Now the next schedule will be 5-match Test series which will kick-start from August 1.## For more updates and news, stay tuned to us.## Thanks for the reading.