Australian batsman Marnus Labuschagne wants to play the Test match to dominate the Indian bowlers just like how Cheteshwar Pujara did in the past two Border-Gavaskar Trophy series. In the 2018-19 edition of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, India's Test specialist, Cheteshwar Pujara played 1,258 deliveries across seven innings. He smashed three centuries and dominated the unchanged set of Australian bowling attacks throughout the four-Test series, helping India secure a famous victory Down Under. He used a similar approach in the 2020-21 Test series by facing 928 balls, the most by any batsman in the series as he once again contributed to another memorable win for the tourists. Marnus Labuschagne plans to use a similar strategy. The right-hander feels that keeping India's relatively inexperienced pace attack, aside from Jasprit Bumrah, on the field for as long as possible could be the key for the hosts in the five-Test series beginning here on Friday. "It's going to be important for all of us. I think the way we play, we're at our best when we're playing the long game," Labuschagne was quoted as saying by 'ESPNCricinfo'. Also Read: Border-Gavaskar Trophy | "You might see Shami here as well": Jasprit Bumrah "We understand that getting them back for their second and third spells, putting them under pressure and letting them come to us and us putting pressure back on them through overs in the field and time in the game, especially over a five-Test series, that's really important. "Because as you get into the third, fourth, fifth Test, if they're trying to play the same team, and those bowlers are rolling into 100, 150, 200 overs by the third Test, it's going to make a big difference in the series," he added. Bumrah will be supported by the likes of Mohammed Siraj and the trio of Harshit Rana, Prasidh Krishna and Nitish Kumar Reddy, all playing their debut series in Australia. Labuschagne, who bowls medium pace as well as leg spin, bowled a barrage of bouncers to skipper Pat Cummins and pacer Mitchell Starc at the nets on Monday. "I bowled one bouncer and I think Mitchell Starc said, 'We've got short memories'. And I said, 'Well, I'm going to get them anyway, so I might as well dish them out'. "There's nothing more enjoyable than bowling bouncers. I love it. "There was a bit worry. When I bowled I think about 28 overs of pace in a Shield game, and my workloads were zero before then, so some would say that's a big spike. But my body's pretty durable. "It's something that I've done from a young age. I've always bowled pace." The 30-year-old will like nothing more than bowl bouncers. "I would love nothing more than to be that guy." Marnus Labuschagne said during the build-up to Friday's series opener in Perth when asked if he was primed to fill pace all-rounder Cameron Green's bowling boots. "But we've got to convince the Australian captain of that. We'll see, but there's nothing more enjoyable than bowling bouncers. I love it," Labuschagne added. (With PTI Inputs)
21 November,2024 01:17 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentMohammed Shami is making a return to the game after nearly a year. The last time he represented Team India was during the ODI World Cup 2023. Mohammed Shami who plays for Gujarat Titans (GT) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) recently learnt that former Team India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar commented on his future in the cash-rich league. "There will definitely be interest from teams, but given Shami's injury history--and this recent one took a significant amount of time to recover--there's always a concern about a potential breakdown during the season. If a franchise invests heavily and then loses him mid-season, their options become limited. This concern might lead to a drop in his price tag", Manjrekar said on Star Sports. Also Read: Inputs from support staff vital: Kapil Dev Mohammed Shami recently shared a story on his official Instagram account which read, "Baba ki jai ho. Thodsa gyan apne future k lie bhi bacha lo kaam ayega Sanjay G? Kisi ko future janna ho to sir se mile." Taking to X: Mohammed Shami's Instagram story on Sanjay Manjrekar's statement about the price tag for IPL 2025 ⚡ pic.twitter.com/04fCmsoK7U — Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) November 21, 2024 In the 2023 season of the cash-rich league, Shami exuded dominance by racking up 28 wickets from 17 matches at an economy rate of 8.04. His exploits with the white-ball remained unmatched throughout the season. He ended the season as the leading wicket-taker and won the purple cap ahead of Rashid Khan, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh and other star players. As of now, Shami will continue to feature in the domestic circuit after he was named in Bengal's squad for the upcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Shami made his much-awaited return to competitive cricket after a year of absence due to an ankle injury. He notched up his scorching pace to take Bengal past the finishing line with a mouth-watering display in the Ranji Trophy, finishing with match figures of 7/57. (With ANI Inputs)
21 November,2024 12:57 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentIs the India-Australia series more significant than the Ashes?It is an important series. There is no need to compare. India and Pakistan will have their reasons for playing the game and call it the biggest. England and Australia have the Ashes. So, let’s not compare. India-Australia cricket has its own positioning. What are India’s strong points? If I look at India’s strong point over the years, it would be the increase in their self-belief. Sometimes, you look over-confident, but the belief in the Indian team has improved. It is a critical component for any team looking to excel on the big stage. Kapil Dev Also Read: India deal with sure scrap Would India have done well to include a player like Cheteshwar Pujara to strengthen the middle-order? Whatever the best team you have, you are making them play, and that’s it. One can then ask whether India needs players like Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar. Why not Don Bradman for Australia? Why talk about the people who are not in the team. Having been one yourself, what should Jasprit Bumrah’s approach be as a fast bowling captain? He should stay as normal as possible and not look to do something extra. He should go with the flow, and over some time, he will learn. It’s unfair to say, ‘What more can he do?’ I don’t expect anything beyond what he encounters. Let the contest begin, and he will find his way. We must not burden him with expectations. On your first tour to Australia in 1980-81, you bowled India to victory in the Melbourne Test despite a thigh injury. Your memories?I was too young [21] and didn’t know much about international cricket. I made my debut in 1978. Passion was more critical and I didn’t look at anything else. I just wanted to enjoy the game. I was aware of my responsibilities and role. Picking up that injury made me feel guilty, and I was determined to give my best to the team. I was not going to let the team down. It was a great team performance. We bounced back as a team rather than individuals. How do you look at so many newcomers in the Indian team for a tough series?I want to see how the support staff guides the youngsters. The management needs to tell them to stay calm when they come across a helpful surface with a lot of bounce. They generally try to go flat out when the ball bounces off the surface. I have seen this happen in the past when they bowled too many short deliveries and came to grief. What would you tell them?They must understand that line and length is important. They should let the ball do something. Bowling quick is not important, good line and length with movement is important. The short ball should be your surprise delivery. What is the formula to win the series, according to you?The batsmen have to do their job, and the bowlers must obviously pick up 20 wickets to win a Test match. We should give more emphasis on the bowlers. Indian cricket has always depended on the batsmen, but I think recently the bowlers have started winning matches. Does India have the bowlers to take 20 wickets?It depends again on how they get used to the pitches. See how the New Zealand spinners came to India and exploited the pitches so well. That’s what we always look out for.
21 November,2024 12:28 PM IST | Mumbai | AKSHAY LOKAPALLYAustralian captain Pat Cummins on Thursday said the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against arch-foes India is going to be more "attritional" as the two heavyweights of world cricket will be sparring over five Test matches instead of the traditional four games. The blockbuster series will be a survival of the fittest as Australia look to avenge successive losses on home soil when they go head-to-head from Friday."Border-Gavaskar Trophy has always been very tight every series, five Test-match series gets really attritional, it's a big one really," Cummins said at the pre-match press conference. The Australia captain admitted there will be pressure on the home team, especially because of the fact that they lost the last four Test series against India, including the two humiliating reverses on their own soil. "There will always be pressure when you are playing at home. India are a very talented side and it will be a good challenge. But we are not looking too far ahead," Cummins said. "It would be great to win the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. India are a great side but we are well prepared." The leading pacer also said said newcomer Nathan McSweeney should not try to imitate David Warner, the legendary opener who retired from international cricket earlier this year. "He should play his natural game. He shouldn't try to imitate David Warner. That's not his game. As long as he makes the bowlers bowl again and again, that's his game," Cummins said of the man who is going to be handed his Test debut at Optus Stadium. Asked about India's talented all-rounder Nitish Reddy, Cummins said they shared the dressing room for IPL franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad and praised the 21-year-old. "He is and impressive youngster. Didn't bowl much for SRH. he can swing the ball and is a really talented kid. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
21 November,2024 12:09 PM IST | Perth (Australia) | PTIWACA head curator Isaac McDonald on Wednesday said the unusual rain in Perth has impacted the pitch preparation for the first Test of Border-Gavaskar Trophy and though he doesn’t expect the surface to develop snake cracks, there will still be plenty of bounce and carry. The surface at the Optus Stadium or at the nearby WACA ground is known for its pace and bounce and when the cracks open up in dry conditions, it provides more assistance to the seamers besides bringing the spinners into play. Some of those cracks often take shape of a snake and therefore termed as snake cracks. The city has witnessed rain over the past few days and the pitch was covered for the whole day on Tuesday, cutting down preparation time for the curator. Also Read: "He’s obviously one that bats time": Hazlewood on Cheteshwar Pujara “Yeah, it’s definitely not traditional Perth Test prep. Yesterday [Tuesday] we pretty much lost the whole day of prep with it being under cover. So we kind of saw the forecast early on and we started prep a little bit earlier than we normally would. “So we’re sitting quite comfortable still. It’d be nice if the sun would pop out and do its job but as of this morning we’re in a good spot, we’re really comfortable as a curating team,” McDonald told media ahead of the series opener beginning on Friday. “It’ll just come in how well they look after the ball and how true the surface stays. We’re meant to get to 30-32 degrees over the weekend so we’ll see what the grass on top does there but in terms of coming off cracks I just don’t think we’re going to get there,” felt McDonald. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
21 November,2024 07:09 AM IST | Perth | PTIAustralia pacer Josh Hazlewood is pretty happy that he will not have to bowl to India Test veteran Cheteshwar Pujara in the latest chapter of Border-Gavaskar Trophy, beginning here on Friday. The Indian team has moved on from the likes of Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane, both of whom played a major hand in ensuring the visitors’ back-to-back win Down Under four years ago. Pujara was the rock of Indian batting on the previous two tours Down Under. He faced the maximum numbers of balls to wear down Australia’s formidable pace attack. Also Read: Inputs from support staff vital: Kapil Dev The out-of-favour batter was the leading run-getter in the 2018-19 series with 521 runs off 1,258 balls and was once again the backbone of Indian batting three years later when he accumulated 271 runs off 928 balls. “I am pretty happy that Puj [Pujara] isn’t here. He’s obviously one that bats time, makes you really earn his wicket every time, has done really well on Australia on all these tours,” Hazlewood told reporters ahead of the first Test here. Despite Pujara’s absence, he feels there is enough talent in the Indian squad. “So there’s always young, fresh guys coming into the Indian team. Whoever they pick in that XI, they are unbelievable players,” he said. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
21 November,2024 07:07 AM IST | Perth | PTIThe gigantic Optus Stadium is a new cricketing venue, having hosted just four Tests since Australia locked horns with India in the inaugural five-day game here in December 2018. It’s an impressive but intimidating structure, a modern monstrosity of sorts inside which one can get the feeling of being trapped in a maze. It has also become somewhat of a modern bastion for the Australians, who have won all four previous Tests here and have therefore chosen its pace, bounce and carry with which to attack India in the latest showdown between the two cricketing powerhouses. India’s dominance Australia are hosting India for a five-Test series for the first time since 1991-92, a testament to how much the battle for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy has come on in the last couple of decades. The hype around these contests is humongous and for the large part, the cricket has lived up to the build-up and the expectations, evidenced by the fact that each of the last four series between the two sides starting from 2017 has ended with an identical 2-1 scoreline, all in favour of India.In a remarkable break from norm, many players in the current Australian side haven’t tasted a series victory against India — the last time the Aussies came up trumps was in 2014-15, when they won 2-0 at home in Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s final Test series. They have held the Ashes several times and are the defending World Test Championship winners, but they haven’t taken kindly to being beaten twice in a row in their own backyard by the feisty Indians, who must be a little low on confidence following their unprecedented home whitewash by New Zealand. Also Read: "He’s a superstar": Ponting praises Virat Kohli India know they are in for a scrap. Even with a full squad, they’d have faced a huge ask following the meltdown against the Kiwis. That they will be without skipper Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill for the first Test, beginning on Friday, means Virat Kohli will necessarily have to shed his extended lean trot and shoulder the responsibility of shepherding a young batting group if Australia’s bowlers, spearheaded by Pat Cummins, are not to run riot. Perth has historically been a pacers’ paradise though astonishingly, it is off-spinner Nathan Lyon who boasts the most Test wickets (27 in four) at the Optus. India can expect no respite from Australia, though they will hope to hold their own given that their captain is no slouch with the ball either. All eyes on Jasprit and Kohli Jasprit Bumrah doesn’t have too much captaincy experience, but is a leader in every sense, assuming that role almost right from the time he made his Test debut, in South Africa in January 2018. He has been to Australia on both their Test series-winning outings, is well refreshed after a three-and-a-half-week break and is primed to make a statement, both as the leader of the pace group and of the team itself in Rohit’s absence. It will be up to him and Kohli to show the way if India aren’t to play catch-up by the time their regular skipper catches up with his colleagues next week.
21 November,2024 06:56 AM IST | Perth | R KaushikAhead of the first Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test, Ricky Ponting hailed the talismanic Virat Kohli, calling him an absolute superstar of the game who is deeply passionate about the way he plays. “Kohli is a star. He’s a superstar, has been a superstar of the game for so long. He’s passionate about the way that he plays. He’s passionate about his team. He wants to win and he plays with his heart on his sleeve. Also Read: Morne Morkel opens up on Shubman Gill's feature for the first Test “That’s what superstar players generate and create all around the world. And there’s lots of different degrees of that. That’s what superstar players generate and create all around the world. And there’s lots of different degrees of that. “You think about other players like when Steve Smith goes to the UK [United Kingdom] and gets booed when he walks onto the ground. I mean, that’s all part of, I guess, the theatre that comes with international sports,” said Ponting on the ICC Review Show. Kohli averages just 22.72 in his six Test matches this year, way below than his average of 54.08 in Tests in Australia and his overall career average of 47.83. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
21 November,2024 06:50 AM IST | Perth | IANSA final call on Shubman Gill’s availability for the opening Test against Australia will be taken on the morning of the match, India’s bowling coach Morne Morkel said on Wednesday, adding that uncapped batting all-rounder Nitish Reddy will be the one to keep an eye on. Also Read: ICC T20I rankings: Hardik Pandya back on top, Tilak Varma soars 69 places to third among batters Gill remains doubtful for the series-opener, starting here on Friday after copping a blow to his left thumb during India’s intra-squad training match here a few day ago. “Shubman is improving every day. Fingers crossed for that improvement. They’ll wait to make a call with him up until the morning of the Test match,” Morkel told reporters ahead of a training session. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
21 November,2024 06:46 AM IST | Perth | PTIShubman Gill's thumb fracture is certainly a "jolt" for India ahead of the series opener against Australia but former captain Sourav Ganguly firmly believes the team has the quality and mental fortitude to overcome the recent shock loss at home in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy starting in Perth from Friday. Gill, who has five hundreds in 29 Tests, had scored a fifty in Melbourne and a game-setting 91 at Brisbane in the two victories on the previous tour. He suffered a left thumb fracture while fielding in the intra-squad simulation between senior team and India A, ruling him out of the first Test. "Shubman's injury is jolt for the team no doubt as he is an in-form batter and has scored in Australia. A thumb fracture could rule him out for two Tests. "But I believe the other batters would step up in absence of Rohit (on paternity leave) and Shubman during the first Test. I don't think New Zealand defeat would have any bearing on this series," the former BCCI president told PTI in an interview ahead of the marquee series. With Hardik Pandya not playing Test cricket anymore, India don't have too many genuine pace bowling all-rounders and while Nitish Kumar Reddy is still very raw, one of India's finest captains feels that the Andhra cricketer needs to be given chances in specific conditions. "Look, there is absolutely no point in playing two specialist spinners either at Perth (Optus) or at the Gabba (Brisbane). You obviously need to find a way to play Reddy in these conditions. He is a good batsman and coming in at lower middle order, it will lend proper balance to the side," he gave his rationale for inclusion of a multi-skilled player. Ganguly also felt that Mohammed Shami should have travelled to Adelaide and played the second Test starting December 6, which is a day/night game. Shami is not being fast-tracked immediately by the selectors, who want him to play in Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament before taking a call on his travel Down Under. "Shami bowled nearly 45 overs, fielded for more than 100 overs and also scored some runs. That's a good enough fitness test to be sent to Australia because you need a bowler of his calibre alongside Jasprit Bumrah." Also Read: Lyon’s menace grows as Optus Stadium throws curveballs for bowlers Why are we talking about transition? The talks over a possible transition post the shock loss to New Zealand has gained traction but the 51-year-old finds no merit in that argument. "Transitions will happen when it has to happen. I think any player shouldn't be judged on basis of age. Form and fitness should be the only two criteria to judge a player." If there are two batters that Ganguly is looking forward to seeing in the series, it is Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant. "I have full confidence in Virat Kohli. He has been a proven performer and he will have a very good series. Kohli and second best Test batter in the current line-up Rishabh will be key. If these two can perform, India will have a good series," he said. Don't think team is "under-cooked" Ganguly also doesn't believe that the team is under-cooked in terms of facing Australia in a five-match series. "Undercooked is a term used when you haven't played any Test cricket at all. They have just played five Tests in last seven weeks so how does the question even arise? "I can understand that the defeat against New Zealand was unexpected but you have to understand we played on some extremely difficult tracks. In Australia, the tracks will be good for batting," Ganguly said. But won't there be a mental impact of such debacle going into a high-profile against the Aussies? "I don't think so. But I must say that we need to get back to playing on good cricket pitches at home. "We should stop this habit of playing on rank turners. The batsmen lose confidence on such tracks and we have a team which can win Test matches on good tracks. "Also on turners, you need to learn to grind before you can attack. There are two types of tracks where you can't just hit through the line and get out of trouble. One is a seaming track and other being a rank turner." This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
20 November,2024 05:36 PM IST | New Delhi | PTIAhead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Australian all-rounder Mitchell Marsh praised India's veteran spin duo, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, describing them as world-class bowlers. After months of anticipation, India and Australia, two heavyweights in Test cricket, are set to renew their fierce rivalry in Perth starting Friday. Ashwin boasts impressive statistics against Australia. In 22 Test matches and 42 innings against the Aussies, he has claimed 114 wickets at an economy rate of 2.70. On Australian soil, Ashwin has played 10 Tests, taking 39 wickets at an economy rate of 2.93. Jadeja, on the other hand, has played 17 matches against Australia, taking 89 wickets at an economy rate of 2.33 and an average of 19.29. The 35-year-old, who debuted in the longer format in 2012 against England, has since appeared in 77 Tests, amassing 319 wickets at an economy rate of 2.51. Marsh expressed his eagerness to face the challenge posed by Jadeja and Ashwin while also acknowledging India's formidable fast-bowling attack. "They're world-class bowlers. I'm looking forward to the challenge, but how much spin will play in Australia, we'll wait and see. They've got an outstanding fast-bowling attack, but there's no doubt they're world-class spinners, and I've got a lot of respect for them," Marsh told *Fox Cricket*. Also Read: Lyon’s menace grows as Optus Stadium throws curveballs for bowlers He added that he plans to approach the contest against Ashwin and Jadeja with a positive mindset. "I've grown a lot as a player, and I'll take a positive mindset into that battle," Marsh said. The much-anticipated Border-Gavaskar series will kick off on November 22 with the first Test in Perth. The second Test, scheduled from December 6 to 10 at the Adelaide Oval, will feature the exciting day-night format under lights. The third Test will take place at The Gabba in Brisbane from December 14 to 18. The iconic Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground will run from December 26 to 30, marking the penultimate match of the series. The fifth and final Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground, set for January 3 to 7, will bring the series to an exciting conclusion. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
20 November,2024 05:32 PM IST | Perth | ANIADVERTISEMENT
