All posts by n8rngtd.top

Title challengers four-down at stumps, allowing Surrey to tighten grip at top of Division One

ECB Reporters Network21-Sep-2022Jack Leaning celebrated his second century of the season to boost Kent’s hopes of avoiding relegation from LV= Insurance County Championship Division One as they set title-chasing Hampshire 378 runs to win.Stand-in captain Leaning struck 112 as the pitch became more conducive to batting, following 23 wickets falling on a fast-forward opening day, as Kent totted up 269 runs.It meant Hampshire, who had seen Mohammad Abbas claim four for 68, required the fifth-highest chase in their history to keep themselves in the title race – with Surrey highly likely to pick up a win and six bonus points.Joe Weatherley was exceptional for his unbeaten 54 but Hampshire lost openers Felix Organ and Ian Holland plus nightwatcher Keith Barker and Nick Gubbins while knocking 105 off the required total in 35 overs – with 273 runs still required to victory.Having taken three evening wickets – albeit two were nightwatchers and the light had dimmed – Hampshire were optimistic they could blast the remaining seven Kent batters, have a modest target to chase and reignite their title tilt.They were in for another chastening day, as the pitch somewhat flattened out and their visitors took advantage.Tawanda Muyeye and Daniel Bell-Drummond came out with a game-plan to attack with the pair driving with glamorous abandon, the pair putting on a carefree 35. Muyeye gained a life on 34 when dropped at third slip but failed to use it when leg before to Kyle Abbott in the following over.Bell-Drummond continued on his way to 40, with all but six of the runs coming in boundaries, with 51 added with Leaning before he was bowled playing around James Fuller. Ollie Robinson also fell before lunch edging a slog to first slip.The afternoon saw Leaning come into his own. He set up outside of his crease and then lurched further forward to try and get to the ball before it significantly moved.His hypothesis worked as he comfortably collected runs, most often guiding to third. His fifty came in that region, although through an edge between wicketkeeper and slip, in 89 balls.Leaning is on course to average above 40 in his first two full seasons at Kent, since moving from Yorkshire, but last season his failure to convert blackened his 745 a tad. He turned a fifty to a century just once in seven attempts in 2021.He has almost matched his overall tally from last year, up to 714 after this innings, and has now scored two centuries – this being in much trickier conditions than his 128 against Gloucestershire at home.The right-hander reached his eighth first-class century by advancing and dispatching a six over midwicket. He had batted through over an hour after lunch with Harry Finch for 78 before the latter was lbw to Abbott.From there wickets fell more regularly as Leaning scored all but one run off the bat in stands of 17 and 21 with Joey Evison and Nathan Gilchrist. Evison was caught behind, Leaning upper-cutting to deep point and Gilchrist picking out long on to end the innings.Only Hampshire sides in 1983, 1985, 1990 and 2006 had scored greater than 378 runs to win a match. Chances of replicating those performances got off to a hitch when Holland was leg before to Matt Quinn in the fourth over.Organ and Weatherley bravely copped knocks on the hand during a ferocious Conor McKerr over with the homegrown duo putting on 68.But after back-to-back boundaries, Organ edged Harry Podmore behind. He left the middle banging his bat against his helmet in frustration before Barker starved off 17 deliveries and then looped a bouncer to midwicket. Quinn picked up his eighth wicket of the match as Gubbins left a delivery that nipped back into his off stump.The smattering of wickets meant Weatherley shyly celebrated his 94-ball half-century – his first since April.

The India captain says they have “found some answers” and “90-95% of the team was settled”

Shashank Kishore07-Sep-20225:07

Rohit: ‘There’s nothing missing, we have a quality team’

Two Super 4s losses. Two lost tosses. Two last-over defeats. Two death-overs mishaps. Two middle-order meltdowns. Two below-par totals. It can go on.All of these must mean a fair few concerns for any team, right? If Rohit Sharma is to be believed, these aren’t panic stations just yet. Perhaps not panic stations but definitely a worry? Nope, not really. Because India have trained themselves to think in such a way that wins and losses are merely part of a bigger picture at the moment, and that big picture is the T20 World Cup next month.Related

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Even if those two losses have come in a multi-nation tournament. Let’s be clear. These are the words of a captain who has full faith in his team and their ability to bounce back. Rohit spoke for a good 20 minutes, answering several questions dissecting India’s loss. The one thing he didn’t want these two losses to be associated with was “panic” or “nerves” or “meltdowns”. He seemed slightly irked, unlike his otherwise jovial self at media interactions. So irked that he even offered a free invitation into the dressing room to see the mood in the camp.”I don’t think there’s anything wrong, it looks like it from the outside, but we don’t look at it that way,” Rohit said. “I’ve been at many press conferences, and when you lose such questions will be asked. It’s normal. But as far as the team is concerned you can go in [the dressing room] and see, all the boys are relaxed and chilled. We need to have such an atmosphere whether you win or lose.”Convinced? No? Okay, worry not. He wasn’t going to stop there.”We’ve worked hard to make the team atmosphere that way and all the boys are happy about it. If the dressing room mood is good, eventually the performances you see will happen on the ground. Before the World Cup, it’s important for us to keep the atmosphere good and not judge the boys by wins or losses, performances and non-performances. Because whoever is here, they’re all good. That thought we need to be consistent with.”India’s fate in the Asia Cup is no longer in their hands after their loss to Sri Lanka. They have to beat Afghanistan, but even before they get there, their fate could be sealed on Wednesday if Pakistan beat Afghanistan. The situation is exactly like it was at the T20 World Cup last year, where two straight losses left their campaign in jeopardy. Anything after that was merely a formality, because deep down everyone knew it was all but over.Rohit was also crystal clear “90-95% of the team was settled” and that their quest to try out different things had one result in mind: finding their best XI. Never mind what coach Rahul Dravid spoke of earlier last week, when he said there wasn’t going to be any experimentation. Truth be told, India have been hampered with injuries to Ravindra Jadeja and the absence of two key fast bowlers – who can also hold their own in the death overs – Jasprit Bumrah and Harshal Patel.3:37

Pujara: India’s bowling is not a big concern

In the last two matches, India have been playing two frontline seamers – Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Arshdeep Singh – along with a third in Hardik Pandya, the allrounder. In Jadeja’s absence, they’ve played two frontline spinners and a third in part-timer Deepak Hooda, who hasn’t bowled in the two games he has played so far.”It’s 90-95% settled, just a few changes that will happen,” Rohit said of the team combination. “When you talk about experiments, yes, we wanted to try out certain things. If you look at the combination we have been playing before the start of the Asia Cup, it was with four seamers, two spinners and the second spinner was an allrounder. I always wanted to try and find answers as to what happens if you play with three seamers and two spinners, and the third spinner being an allrounder.”When you’re playing against quality opposition, you want to challenge yourself. This was missing in our books; we’d never tried that combination. We wanted to try and see what happens here as well. In hindsight, our fourth seamer [Avesh Khan] who was here was not available for selection for the last two games because he was sick.”Yes, there are a lot of questions we need to answer, and along the way, in the three-four series we’ve played, we have found some answers. There will be a time where we will draw a line and say, ‘this is the combination we want to play for the World Cup.’ After this, we have two more series and then the World Cup. Till our squad is announced, we can try out a few players.”Rohit was then asked if there was any merit in playing Hooda if he wasn’t going to bowl. On Wednesday, India made a tactical pick by bringing R Ashwin into the XI to try and win the match-up battle with Sri Lanka’s left-hand batters. But with Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis, the two right-handed openers, adding 97 in 11.1 overs, Rohit wasn’t left with much breathing space to introduce Hooda’s part-time offspin.”Yes, we have the sixth bowling option, but we also wanted to try out with five options and see what happens and what doesn’t happen,” he explained. “Today Hooda was there, but both their right-handers [openers] were set, and I didn’t think I could bring him on then because we were looking to take wickets through our attacking spinners Ashwin and [Yuzvendra] Chahal. Yes, if we got early wickets, I wanted to bowl Hooda, he was in my plan. But yes, six options is always nice. When we play the World Cup it will be at the back of our mind to play with six options.”What about Rishabh Pant versus Dinesh Karthik? It was unlikely Rohit was going to leave without being asked that. What was likely, and perhaps predictable, was the reasoning, which, all said, isn’t without merit. Jadeja’s absence has meant India don’t have another left-hand batter in the top six, which led to Pant getting the nod ahead of Karthik.”See, it is simple. We wanted a left-hander to bat in the middle,” Rohit said. “That’s why Dinesh Karthik is out. Not because of form or anything. We wanted a left-hand batter in the middle to take pressure off, but it didn’t happen. But by no means DK has been dropped because of poor form. We always want to have flexibility in the group. We will keep changing players every now and then depending on the opposition. Four-five batters will play, but there will always be those one-two changes in the batting.”

England captain has not played a County Championship game since 2018

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Oct-2022Jos Buttler, England’s white-ball captain, will remain a Lancashire player at least until the end of the 2025 season after signing a three-year extension to his contract.Buttler, 32, is currently in Australia preparing for England’s T20 World Cup campaign, and while his new deal extends a relationship with Lancashire that began when he joined the club from Somerset in 2013, it is unlikely that the club will see much of him in the foreseeable future.His ECB central contract restricts his availability during the English season, as does his marquee status as one of the most sought-after overseas batters in the IPL – he was last season’s MVP and Orange Cap winner after scoring 863 runs in 17 matches, including four centuries – and his role as Manchester Originals’ captain in the Hundred.Buttler played a solitary T20 Blast match for Lancashire in the 2022 season, making 42 from 29 balls against Worcestershire in July. He has not played a County Championship game since the Roses match in July 2018 and his most recent List A appearance for the county was even longer ago, also against Yorkshire at Emirates Old Trafford in 2016.Nevertheless, he played a key role in Lancashire’s first T20 Blast title in 2015, with important runs in both the group stage and knock-outs, and said that he looked forward to further appearances when the opportunity arises.”I am really pleased to commit my county cricket future to Lancashire, the club which provided me with an opportunity to achieve my ambitions when I joined from Somerset back in 2013,” Buttler said.”Whilst I have not had the opportunity to come back as much as I would have liked in recent seasons, it is always a privilege to represent the Red Rose and play at Emirates Old Trafford in front of our Members and supporters.”I will always look to help the club wherever I can and hopefully there are plenty of opportunities for me to able to do so during the next three seasons.”Mark Chilton, Lancashire’s director of cricket performance added: “We are delighted that Jos has signed a new three-year contract with Lancashire Cricket.”We are all aware of the limitations within the schedule for a cricketer in demand such as Jos, however, as England men’s white-ball captain and a World Cup winner, the value of the experiences that Jos, when available, can impart into our dressing room cannot be underestimated.”Jos is one of the most feared white-ball batters in world cricket and to have the option to include him in our side, when the schedules allow, is something which can only make us stronger and benefit our younger players to learn from such an elite performer.”

Adil Rashid spins a web to restrict Pakistan before ODI champions England take T20 crown too

Matt Roller13-Nov-20223:33

Fleming: Pakistan made ‘massive mistake’ in last four overs

England became the first team to hold both men’s World Cups simultaneously, sneaking past Pakistan in a tense run chase to win the 2022 Men’s T20 World Cup final at the MCG by five wickets with an over to spare.Ben Stokes, England’s match-winner in the 50-over final three years ago, anchored another run chase and ground out his first half-century in T20 internationals in the format’s biggest game. He had battled to 24 off 34 balls, but a late flurry of boundaries removed the scoring pressure.The game changed in the 13th over of England’s chase when Shaheen Shah Afridi slid forwards to complete a catch off Shadab Khan, dismissing Harry Brook. Pakistan’s celebrations were cut short when they realised that Shaheen had jarred his right knee, which had once threatened to rule him out of the tournament.He received some treatment and attempted to return for his third over with 41 needed off 30 balls, but pulled out of his run-up once, then sent one down to Moeen Ali at 71mph/114kph. Iftikhar Ahmed completed his over and Stokes targeted him: he miscued him just short of long-off, but then slapped him through cover for four and launched him back over his head for six.When Moeen started the next over with back-to-back boundaries off Mohammad Wasim, the required rate was below a run a ball. Wasim returned to york Moeen, but Stokes crashed him through cover then hauled him through the leg side to secure England’s title.Sam Curran was adjudged player of the match as well as tournament•AFP/Getty Images

Curran strikes early – and late
England primarily used Sam Curran at the death throughout this T20 World Cup but his role shifted slightly in the knockout stages. Chris Jordan’s inclusion, replacing the injured Mark Wood for the last two games, meant Curran bowled a second powerplay over in both the semi-final and final.It proved crucial. Pakistan started slowly after being asked to bat first on a slow pitch, with Mohammad Rizwan’s slog-swept six off Chris Woakes their only boundary in the first four overs, and Curran – in his second over – struck as Rizwan looked to up the tempo, inside-edging a booming cover drive onto the base of his leg stump.Curran returned at the death and had both Shan Masood and Mohammad Nawaz caught by Liam Livingstone at deep midwicket, using the MCG’s vast square boundaries to his advantage. He finished with remarkable figures of 3 for 12 across four boundary-less overs, winning awards as both player of the match and the tournament.Liam Livingstone completes a catch to send Shan Masood back, his first of three in the death overs•Getty Images

Rashid finds his form
It was a World Cup of two halves for Adil Rashid: he took combined figures of 0 for 89 in 12 overs across his first three appearances, but England insisted they were confident that he would come good when it mattered. He delivered in style, taking 1 for 16 and 1 for 20 against Sri Lanka and India, then made two crucial breakthroughs in the final.Mohammad Haris, Pakistan’s dangerous No. 3, ran down the pitch and tried to clear long-on off Rashid’s first ball but holed out to Stokes, and neither Babar Azam or Shan Masood could get him away. Instead, Masood took on Livingstone, crashing him back down the ground for four and then six to take 16 off his only over.But Rashid struck with the very next ball, Babar miscuing his googly back to him, and then delivered a wicket maiden as Iftikhar struggled to read his variations. He conceded his only boundary in his final over when Shadab slapped him back over his head during a stand of 36 with Masood – but regular wickets at the death restricted Pakistan to 137.Chaos in the chase
Heading into the final, one key battle stood out: England’s opening batters against Pakistan’s new-ball bowlers. Jos Buttler and Alex Hales had demolished India in their semi-final but Shaheen, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf stood out as the best pace trio in the tournament.Alex Hales was castled by a Shaheen Shah Afridi inswinger•ICC via Getty Images

Shaheen landed the first punch, ripping Hales’ middle stump out of the ground with a full ball that brushed his back pad on the way through, but Buttler countered: Naseem overpitched, desperate for another early wicket, and was pinged through the covers for consecutive boundaries.Phil Salt, batting for the first time in the tournament after Dawid Malan failed to recover from a groin strain, got two early boundaries away. But he picked out short midwicket off Rauf when looking for a third, who roared in celebration.Naseem’s second over was sublime, but somehow cost 11 runs despite him beating Buttler’s outside edge five times thanks to one wild ball down the leg side and an audacious, trademark scoop shot which flew away for six. Rauf reaped the rewards in the following over as Buttler edged behind, and England finished a chaotic powerplay 49 for 3.The Stokes show
With the required rate in check, Stokes and Brook opted to dig in for the next six overs, looking to minimise dot balls without taking undue risks. Both struggled for timing as the ball got older, and boundaries were hard to come by: Stokes scored a single run off his first nine balls after the drinks break, and was repeatedly beaten by Naseem in another brilliant over.Concerned faces all around as Shaheen Afridi stays down after pulling off a sharp catch•AFP/Getty Images

Stokes looked to have dug himself into a hole with 45 required off 31 balls, but cut the final ball of Rauf’s third over away for four to relieve some of the pressure and when Shaheen gestured to the dug-out that his night was over, he sensed an opportunity. He threw his head back in disbelief when he mistimed his first ball from Iftikhar, the part-time offspinner, towards Babar at long-off but it fell short, and he pummelled his final two balls to the boundary.With scores level after he had brought up his maiden T20I fifty with a slap through the off side, Stokes swung and missed at Wasim and then muscled him away for the winning run. As England’s bench ran onto the pitch in celebration, they did so with their legacy as one of the great limited-overs teams secured.

He is in line to face David Warner’s Sydney Thunder in a local derby on January 21

AAP11-Dec-2022Steven Smith will play for Sydney Sixers in the BBL this summer after the stand-off with Cricket Australia over his involvement was resolved.Under a deal struck between Smith and CA, he will be added to the Sixers squad as a replacement player once an international star heads back overseas in early January.Smith will then become available when the Test summer finishes on January 8, allowing him to play up to four regular-season matches.Ordinarily, the role of a replacement player attracts payments of $2200 per game, but Smith will now receive a greater salary as part of marketing expenditure.Related

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That offer from CA is similar to the one used to lure David Warner back to the BBL at the Sydney Thunder, but in this instance also includes a significant contribution from Cricket NSW.”Steve and his management recently confirmed he will be available to play in this summer’s Big Bash, after his international commitments have finished in January.” Sixers boss Jonathan Robinson-Lees said. “That is great news for the Sixers, the BBL and for fans.”We are really excited for the team and especially our fans, who will now get to see one of the world’s greatest players in magenta this summer.”Smith’s time at the club will include the Sydney Smash against Warner’s Thunder at the SCG on January 21. His return will mark the first time he has played in the BBL since 2019-20.The 33-year-old had attempted to play for the Sixers last summer, but was controversially precluded as he had not nominated for the player replacement pool.It had appeared as if he would suffer the same fate this summer, after the Sixers filled up their initial roster space believing Smith would not be available.However, CA bosses met Smith’s management during the Perth Test earlier this month in a bid to bring him back to the competition before it was eventually finalised.”Steve Smith is a Sixer. He has been part of this club from the start, and he will be part of this club for as long as he wants to be,” Sixers captain Moises Henriques said. “He has always known that the door is open to him playing with us again.”The outcome is a major win for CA on several fronts. Smith is a crowd-puller, and one the BBL needs given Glenn Maxwell and Mitchell Marsh have both been ruled out of the tournament through injury.It also comes after the organisation has been heavily criticised in recent weeks for a failure to make clear decisions, as highlighted by the Warner leadership saga.

Batter has been cleared by the BCCI’s medical team after undergoing rehab at the NCA

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Feb-2023Shreyas Iyer will join India’s squad for the second Test against Australia in Delhi, having been passed fit by the BCCI’s medical team. The middle-order batter had been sidelined from the first Test in Nagpur because of a back injury that had also ruled him out of the home ODI series against New Zealand last month. Iyer subsequently underwent rehab at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru.After playing the two-Test series in Bangladesh in December, Iyer had a swelling in his lower back for which he was given an injection at the NCA. He was originally expected to travel from Bengaluru to Nagpur and join the India squad for their preparatory camp for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy starting on February 2. However, his rehab was extended and in his absence, Suryakumar Yadav made his Test debut in Nagpur, scoring eight in India’s innings victory.Related

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In Delhi, Iyer could potentially slot back into the XI ahead of the other contenders Suryakumar and Shubman Gill. Iyer has played seven Tests so far, scoring 624 runs at an average of 56.72 and strike rate of 65.13. He is particularly strong against spin, which makes him a key batter for India on turning tracks. Iyer is also one among four Indian batters to average above 50 in Asia since the start of 2021.The second Test will be played at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi from February 17.India squad: Rohit Sharma (capt), KL Rahul (vice-capt), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KS Bharat (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), R Ashwin, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Suryakumar Yadav.

Prithvi Shaw is back in the T20I squad, while KS Bharat gets a maiden call-up to the ODI squad

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Jan-2023India have left Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli out of their T20I squad for the upcoming home series against New Zealand. KL Rahul is also not in the squad, and while the BCCI put his absence – and that of Axar Patel, from both the ODI and T20I legs of the series – down to family commitments, it gave no specific reason for Rohit, India’s regular all-format captain, and Kohli missing the series.As a result, India’s first-choice top three from their last two T20 World Cups are now missing successive T20I series.This may not yet have a major bearing on India’s long-term future in the format, however. Ahead of the recently concluded ODI series against Sri Lanka, Rohit said the selectors and team management had made it clear to a number of senior players that they would not be able to play all three formats over the next few months for workload-management reasons, with India building up towards the 50-overs World Cup later this year.Related

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Hardik Pandya, who captained India in the three T20Is against Sri Lanka earlier this month, will continue to lead the side in the T20I series, which will be played in Ranchi, Lucknow and Ahmedabad from January 27 to February 1, with Suryakumar Yadav as his deputy.Rohit and Kohli are part of the squad for the ODI series that will take place before the T20Is, from January 18 to 24 in Hyderabad, Raipur and Indore.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Prithvi Shaw in, Harshal Patel out

The T20I squad is also notable for the return of opener Prithvi Shaw, who last played for India in July 2021, and whose absence from subsequent squads – particularly in the T20 format – has been a constant source of debate, given his rare ability to provide rapid starts in the powerplay. Shaw forced himself into the reckoning earlier this week by scoring 379 off 383 balls – the second-highest first-class score by an Indian batter – for Mumbai against Assam in the Ranji Trophy.Left-arm wristspinner Kuldeep Yadav, who took a Player-of-the-Match-winning 3 for 51 in the second ODI against Sri Lanka on Thursday, is also back in the T20I squad, having last featured for India in that format in August 2022. He is one of two wristspinners in the squad along with Yuzvendra Chahal.Sanju Samson, who was ruled out midway through the T20I series against Sri Lanka with a knee injury, remains out of the squad – the BCCI release did not provide an update on his fitness. Jitesh Sharma, who replaced him, remains in the squad as one of two wicketkeeping options alongside Ishan Kishan.Fast bowler Harshal Patel, who played only the first T20I against Sri Lanka, has been left out of the squad.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

KS Bharat called up to ODI squad

With Rahul sitting out the ODIs, India have called up the uncapped KS Bharat as a second wicketkeeper alongside Kishan. Bharat is also part of India’s squad for the first two Tests against Australia in February – he is expected to contest the lead wicketkeeper role with Kishan in the absence of regular keeper Rishabh Pant, who has undergone knee ligament surgery after suffering a serious car crash in late December.In Axar’s absence, meanwhile, the selectors have called on a like-for-like replacement in Shahbaz Ahmed – both are allrounders who bat left-handed and bowl left-arm spin. Shahbaz has been part of the white-ball mix in recent months, and has played three ODIs, most recently in December on the tour of Bangladesh.Also back in the squad is fast-bowling allrounder Shardul Thakur, who was left out of the series against Sri Lanka. Left-arm quick Arshdeep Singh, who was part of the ODI squad against Sri Lanka but didn’t get a chance in the starting XI, misses out – he remains part of the T20I squad, however.Jasprit Bumrah, who was initially named in the ODI squad against Sri Lanka before pulling out before the start of the series – he is on the road to recovery from a long-term back injury – is not part of either white-ball squad or the squad for the first two Tests against Australia.

Starc is set to return to action in place of Cummins; India are likely to replace Rahul with Gill

Vishal Dikshit28-Feb-20232:07

Chopra: India will be better off opening with Gill than Rahul

Big picture: What next for Australia?

So where do Australia go from here? Indore, of course, but in a more philosophical, soul-searching and series situation kind of way. Not surprisingly, 32 of their 40 wickets have fallen to spin so far, and 21 out of those 32 were either bowled or lbw. “Use your feet against the spinners,” they were told, and they went on the back foot a bit too much to be trapped in front or bowled. “Sweep the spinners,” they were told, and they swept a bit too much in Delhi, especially down the wrong line when the balls were straighter, according to Matthew Hayden. Where do they go now?Ian Chappell, while admitting he last played in India over 50 years ago, says employ good footwork, trust your defence (which Australia aren’t right now), follow Rohit Sharma’s blueprint and try to pick gaps. Easy, eh?Apart from bad luck in the form of injuries to Mitchell Starc and Cameron Green – who both should play the third Test – Australia also made things worse for themselves with their selection calls. The decision to leave out an in-form Travis Head for the first Test led to much debate, and the way they brought Ashton Agar over as their second best spinner after a wicketless Sydney Test, only to send him back from Delhi was nothing less than bizarre.Related

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They can’t get their hands on the Border-Gavaskar Trophy but they can still level the series, although the last stop is Ahmedabad, which could dish out the most spin-friendly track of the series. Remember the last Test there in 2021, when England lasted about 130 overs there combined in an innings defat? Focusing on Indore for now, with a boost in the form of Starc’s return – he averages nearly 33 in India with the bat – would be Australia’s mantra.Their bowlers, especially spinners, haven’t had as many issues. Todd Murphy grabbed seven on debut in Nagpur and Matthew Kuhnemann impressed in phases in Delhi while trapping local man Virat Kohli with an arm ball. Pat Cummins is still in Australia for family reasons, but Starc taking his place and Steven Smith leading the side won’t be much of an issue for them. Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, and even Peter Handscomb, after his promising 72* in Delhi, will lead the batting line-up for the face-off against India’s spin trio.India have to neither worry about injuries nor their tactics. With the pitch likely to behave like the Nagpur and Delhi tracks with grass in the middle and bald patches at the ends, India just need to make sure their batters score well more than the counterparts and the spinners do the rest. In terms of form, all signs for now indicate that Shubman Gill will come in for KL Rahul, who didn’t turn out in the Indore nets in the optional nets session.For the WTC qualifications, India have more than a foot in the final but can still technically lose out if they don’t win the last two Tests and Sri Lanka manage to beat New Zealand 2-0. Similarly for Australia, they won’t make the final if they lose 4-0 and Sri Lanka win 2-0.

Form guide

India WWWWL (last five matches, most recent first)
Australia LLDWW2:26

What improvements can we expect from Australia?

In the spotlight: Mitchell Starc and India’s search for top-order stability

There were talks that Mitchell Starc could have played in Delhi too, but without looking back now, he’ll be pumped to take the ball in Indore, even if he’s not 100%. The finger injury on his bowling hand hasn’t healed yet, he said on Monday, yet he’s ready to go at “full tilt” having been in such situations before. His footmarks could also come in handy for Nathan Lyon, and for the Indian spinners as well. Despite an unimpressive bowling record in India, averaging over 50, he is hoping his pace and angles will trouble the India batters and his presence in the XI in his first game this year will surely bolster the team morale, with both bat and ball, in a bid to keep the series alive.India’s last century partnership for the opening stand was way back in December 2021 in Centurion when Karnataka team-mates KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal had put on 117. While the pitches in subsequent series for India may not all have been batting friendly, India do need a stable pair at the top given their average for opening pairs is among the worst since the beginning of 2022. Assuming Shubman Gill opens in Indore, India will hope he and now-fit and in-form captain Rohit Sharma can provide the consistency and stability India need at the top for the WTC final India are likely to make, and the away Tests in the West Indies and South Africa later in the year.KL Rahul and Shubman Gill bat in adjacent nets in Indore•PTI

Team news: KL Rahul out?

India could bring in Shubman Gill in place of KL Rahul, who has also lost his vice-captaincy for the rest of the series. While Gill is in red-hot form after three centuries and a double-century in his last seven white-ball games, Rahul has scored just 38 from three innings this series. Otherwise India have no reasons to change the XI.India (probable): 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 KL Rahul/Shubman Gill, 3 Cheteshwar Pujara, 4 Virat Kohli, 5 Shreyas Iyer, 6 Ravindra Jadeja, 7 KS Bharat (wk), 8 R Ashwin, 9 Axar Patel, 10 Mohammed Shami, 11 Mohammed SirajDavid Warner is back home. Josh Hazlewood has gone home. Cummins is yet to come back. Australia do have reinforcements for them, and stand-in captain Smith said on Tuesday they could play an extra batter, with Green as one of the four bowlers, or even another quick bowler in Scott Boland or Lance Morris by possibly leaving out Matthew Kuhnemann. They’re keeping their options open until Wednesday morning.Australia (possible): 1 Travis Head, 2 Usman Khawaja, 3 Marnus Labuschagne, 4 Steven Smith (capt), 5 Peter Handscomb, 6 Cameron Green, 7 Alex Carey (wk), 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Todd Murphy, 10 Nathan Lyon, 11 Matthew Kuhnemann/Scott Boland/Lance Morris

Pitch and conditions

Even though the two Tests that have been played in Indore – against New Zealand in 2016 and Bangladesh in 2019 – had something for the seamers on the first couple of days before taking some turn, Wednesday morning will probably serve up another turner, perhaps not a rank turner. The pitch had grass only in the middle, and some of it had been trimmed as compared to Monday. The bald ends were dry according to Smith, around the six-metre mark. The temperatures are expected to stay in the early 30s in the afternoon, and will be more pleasant before and after.

Stats and trivia

• Australia’s left-hand batters have fared far worse than India’s so far in the series. Their 242 runs have come at an average of 11.52 with 21 dismissals, while India’s left-hand batters have scored 254 while averaging 63.50 with four dismissals.
• India’s right-had batters, on the other hand, have done much worse than their own left-hand batters. The right-hand batters have scored 497 runs, averaging 24.85.
• While Australia’s spinners have impressed in different phases across the two Tests to average a tad above 30 for their 20 wickets, their quicks Cummins and Boland haven’t lived up to their expectations at all. They average 51 for their three wickets compared to India’s quicks’ average of 20.12.

Quotes

“It can happen to us as well, not just them. I was talking to Rahul [Dravid] the other day, and I said, in Nagpur I played close to 200 balls, and I never felt that I was set, because when you’re playing on pitches like that, it just takes one ball to probably grip a little more than you expect, or just one ball to keep low, and you’re out. On pitches like this, you’re never in, and it’s the same for us as well. What happened to them can happen to us as well.”
“I think starting your innings is as tough as anywhere in the world here in India. We know if you get in, you’ve got to make it count.”
With stats inputs from S Rajesh

Batter succeeds where Man City manager failed as a sound night’s sleep beckons at Abbas’ expense

Vithushan Ehantharajah14-Apr-2023Surrey 153 for 4 (Pope 48*, Abbas 2-39) trail Hampshire 254 (Brown 95, Lawes 4-58) by 101 runsIf you’re plugged into the internet, you have probably already come across this story told by Cameron Ponsonby on the latest edition of the If not, here we go.Last weekend, Manchester City were playing away to Southampton in the Premier League. As many teams do when preparing for a fixture at St Mary’s, they stayed at the Hilton hotel adjoining the Ageas Bowl. A request was put in for their manager, Pep Guardiola, to take up residence in one of the plusher suites. Usually, that’s no problem. But during this period when the football and cricket seasons overlap, there was. No can do, came the response – that’s Mohammad Abbas’ suite.It’s a hell of a story – County Championship over the Premier League? You love to see it – made all the better by confirmation from a couple of sources. One privately to ESPNcricinfo was accompanied by a fascinating question to wrestle with: which is more intimidating to play against, tiki-taka or the wobble seam? Surrey certainly had their hands full with the latter on Friday, as Abbas found the edges of Dom Sibley and then Rory Burns within 17 overs of a Friday punctuated by rain delays. The opening pair had resumed their stand on 37 before it was broken on 44.