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Inasmuch as one would like to pat the selection committee for facilitating Indian cricket skip a few steps ahead by naming Shubman Gill as captain of the men in blue one-day international team, the committee refused to state its position on the status of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma vis-a-vis their selection for the 2027 World Cup. Ajit Agarkar was right in saying that that October 2025 is not the right time to take an affirmative call for an event that’s going to happen in October-November 2027. Surely Agarkar and his committee could no way have “blocked” Virat and Rohit’s seats well in advance to leave the other contenders short-changed. The selection committee may or may not remain the same after next year’s BCCI AGM but a matter of vital importance is whether Virat and Rohit would continue to be picked for all one-day internationals — in all 21 ODIs after the three-match series in Australia. India is scheduled to play South Africa, New Zealand, Afghanistan, West Indies and Sri Lanka (all a three match series at home till November 2026 and England and New Zealand, all a three-match away series) and indeed by end of 2026, a few more cricketers would be pressing hard for a place in the one-day team for the World Cup. India’s Test team will be occupied with a five-Test series at home in January-February 2027 before the scheduled WTC final in London, after which the focus will be on a round of a 50 over matches/tournaments. The million $ question is whether the selection committee and head coach Gautam Gambhir will allow the Virat-Rohit thorn to be in their flesh for that long.
After successfully pushing through GST-2 reforms, PM Modi had been looking for innovative ideas for governance. It was this search for ideas to further fuel his Viksit Bharat that led to him to interact with about 85 secretary-level officers of the government on October 6. About two dozen secretary-level officers heading various ministries and departments actively participated in the discussions. It is learnt officers were thrilled with the personal interaction they had with the PM. Three days after the meeting, Cabinet Secretary TV Somanathan was already acting on their suggestions. On October 9, he wrote to the secretaries and asked them to roll out their ideas. Among the key points of action was promoting “indigenous development” of digital and social media platforms. The directive on digital platforms is significant as the number of internet subscribers in India as on March 2025 stood at 969.1 million, with most using foreign platforms like Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, YouTube and X. Significantly, PM Modi pushed for use of local platforms coinciding with the launch of Arattai, the messaging app developed by Tamil Nadu-based Zoho Corporation. Earlier, IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw posted on X that he was switching to Zoho’s homegrown office suite software. Likewise, Home Minister Amit Shah too switched his official email service to Zoho Mail. In his letter, the Cabinet Secretary had also dissuaded ministries/departments from avoidable litigation and filing unnecessary court cases and wasting resources. Officials were also told to reorient PhD programmes to promote innovation and development of new ideas, and technologies, through topics that fit the emerging needs of the country – and conceptualise awards at the international level to recognise excellence in various fields. Overall, the ministries have been asked to promote “Atmanirbharta” and reduce imports.
In the last 14 India-West Indies Tests there were 25 centuries and all but two of them were by Indian batsmen. Making hundreds against the West Indies has become almost routine but the remarkable feature is that the Indian youth brigade is coming regularly to the party these days. Shubman Gill, just 26, who made his fifth Test century in just 12th innings as captain, was only a few innings behind Alastair Cook (9) and Sunil Gavaskar (10) in recording the feat. Even Sir Donald Bradman took 13 innings to make that fifth hundred as captain of Australia. Having also assumed responsibility as captain on the tour of England, Gill has five hundreds in the calendar year in his 10 Test centuries overall as he emulates Virat Kohli in making merry when hitting a purple patch of batting form. Pushing him hard in making Test centuries is the opener Yashasvi Jaiswal whose hunger for runs has become a lot more famous than his satiating his physical hunger by helping out at a Pani Puri stall outside the tented ground that was his home in Mumbai. The anger he showed in seeing his captain turn his back on him as he sought a quick single when in his 170s is evidence of how run-hungry Jaiswal is. Not yet 24, he joins South African Graeme smith as a quick collector of seven Test centuries as opener. Run making may get more difficult when Team India plays tougher opposition like South Africa in a home series, but the fact remains that there is a youth brigade that is making India proud again since the halcyon days of Gavaskar in 1971 when the breakthrough victory came in the Caribbean.
In a watershed year for Indian cinema, Kannada and Malayalam industries are leading the charge with blockbuster epics that blend cultural depth with universal spectacle. Rishab Shetty’s Kantara: Chapter 1 has shattered records, amassing Rs 500 crore worldwide, fuelled by its raw portrayal of Karnataka’s ‘Bhoota Kola’ rituals and environmental folklore. Shetty’s dual role as the fierce Panjara— a forest guardian clashing with modernity—delivers visceral action and spiritual resonance, backed by immersive folk music and stunning Udupi landscapes. The film’s grassroots appeal exploded through dubbed versions in Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu, turning rural myths into pan-Indian anthems and earning global acclaim at festivals like Busan. Hot on its heels, Malayalam’s Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra released on August 20, 2025, surged past Rs 300 crore in just six weeks, heralding a superhero saga rooted in Kerala’s matrilineal heritage. Director Dominic Arun masterfully fuses high-octane VFX with emotional intimacy, as producer Dulquer Salmaan crafts a universe where heroine Chandra (Kalyani Priyadarshan) wields ancestral powers against cosmic threats. Priyadarshan’s nuanced turn — from vulnerable orphan to empowered icon — fills a void in female-led genre tales, while spicy dialogue controversies sparked viral debates, boosting theatre footfalls. Salmaan’s bold vision promises spin-offs, blending local lore with Marvel-esque flair. This duo’s dominance underscores a broader renaissance: Gujarati’s Chhello Show 2 breached Rs 100 crore with its heartfelt immigrant saga; Marathi’s Dashaavtar hit Rs 50 crore via satirical family dramedy; and Tamil’s Coolie topped Rs 250 crore in labour-rights thriller mode. Smart OTT tie-ups, dubbed releases, and culturally authentic narratives propel these beyond regional silos, outshining Hindi’s faltering Param Sundari and Sunny Sankari ki Tulsi Kumari. As indigenous voices claim centre stage, Indian cinema evolves into a vibrant mosaic....
IndiGo seems to have cracked it. Their experiment to introduce direct flights between Manchester and Mumbai on July 1, seems to have more than enough takers. Emboldened by such a good response the airline has chalked up plans to add one more destination, Mumbai-London from October 26, making it the 45th destination. IndiGo has direct flights to Manchester and Amsterdam from Mumbai, and now it will be in direct competition with the established British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, and Air India. IndiGo continues its code-sharing as a partner carrier with some European and Middle Eastern airlines. The tremendous traffic growth — both business and regular travellers, the latest signing of the Free Trade Agreement between India and the UK, surge in India–UK activities on all fronts, including culture, has prompted IndiGo to offer this direct service, say aviation insiders. IndiGo will provide a trendy, competitive lower price at Rs 22,000 upwards for return tickets. IndiGo aims to attract budget travellers on its long-haul service. In addition to direct flights between Mumbai-London, it will also commence direct flights between Manchester-Delhi from November 15. It will certainly be good tidings to the residents of Delhi, north India, Gujarat, and Central India. with the vast network it operates from Delhi, being its headquarters. Mumbai serves as a hub for western India pockets. It is contemplating increasing its 3-day a week frequency to its current Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday schedule between Manchester to Mumbai, thus probably making a service of 9 flights freely in a week from Manchester.
Recruitment scam seems to be the new normal. Now, the state of Odisha is rocked by the Sub-Inspector Recruitment Scam. The Opposition parties, BJD and Congress, have been staging demonstrations against the ruling BJP government demanding a CBI probe into the alleged irregularities in Combined Police Service Examination (CPSE) 2024. It is said that the written examination for recruitment of sub-inspectors conducted by the Odisha Police Recruitment Board was postponed after Berhampur Police busted a major recruitment racket with the arrest of 114 aspirants and three middlemen from the Odisha-Andhra Pradesh border on September 30. Subsequent investigation revealed the role of an “organised criminal syndicate” was in place to subvert the entire examination process and give job to people who were willing to pay speed money. Sources say such a scam cannot happen without the blessings of senior government officials. It is alleged that each Sub-Inspector post was being sold for Rs 25 lakh. Informed sources say the scam could be worth around Rs 200 crore. So far Vanik Coaching Centre in Odisha is in focus. In the last 15 months, 16 recruitment exams have been cancelled at the last moment, leaving job aspirants frustrated. The BJP-led government by chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi says the recent recruitment scam in police is the legacy of the previous Naveen Patnaik’s BJD government. When Short Post contacted DGP Y B Khurania he refused to comment saying, “he was going on leave”.
The idiom aging like an old wine seems apt for the 56-year old Bobby Deol. Finally, he has stepped out of the shadow of his father Dharmendra and brother Sunny Deol. For an actor who almost became a recluse and took to drinking, the comeback has proved all his detractors wrong. What changed his life was an innocent question by his children: why is daddy home and not going to work? This is what he said in an exhaustive interview to Times Now‘s Navika Kumar. He went out looking for a job and he was lucky. A web series came his way and his role as Baba Nirala in Aashram (2020) made audiences sit up again. Then came Animal (2023), where his near-silent performance stole the spotlight despite limited screen time. Suddenly, Bollywood’s “forgotten Deol” was the industry’s most talked-about star. Bobby made his debut in Barsaat (1995). With hit films like Gupt, Soldier, Badal and Bichhoo he had carved a niche for himself as the romantic action hero. His downfall started some time in 2010 as a lot of new faces emerged who were versatile. Now cut to current days, he seems breezing with confidence… zipping in and out of film sets or TV news studios. Sure, Bobby has bounced back but diehard industry watchers have a piece of advice for him. “Now, that films are coming the way, he should pick and choose…he should strike a fine balance between art and commerce…that’s a craft he needs to master”.
In the intensely competitive ecosystem of Kollywood, traversing 22 years and reaching Lady Super Star status is no mean feat …in the same demanding profession where beauty, fitness and a modicum of acting talent combine to make a star. Forty-year old Nayanthara has achieved this milestone, still holding steady as one of the highest paid heroines (Rs 7 crore per film) pan India. Before she turned into the legend Nayan, she was Diane Mariam Kurian, dad Kurian Kudiyattu from the armed forces and mother Omana Kurian who bestowed her beauty and grace. Maybe she carried her military disciplined upbringing to her profession. But Nayan, went through some stormy and controversial romantic hookups too…her dalliance with a married Prabhu Deva, her brief affairs with Simbu and Arya provided much chomping fodder to the media, hungry for titillating bits and bytes. From her first film, Manasinakkare in Malayalam in 2003, to playing Sarat Kumar’s lead in Aiyya in 2005 …pairing with Rajinikanth in Chandramukhi which put her in orbit …soon Vijay, Ajitt, Suriya, Vikram, Simbu, Dhanush and Arya were her co-stars. Nayan’s name guaranteed a good box office run. She carried a mythological, Mookuthi Amman on her shoulders and turned a craze among women; the director is now ready with Mookuthi Amman 2. Vignesh Shivan, her husband came into her life with his directed film Naanum Rowdy Thaan, a relationship that merged into marriage in 2002, a much-hyped wedding… Netflix filmed and marketed it. Her twin boys, Uyir and Ulagh keep her busy, even as she still works in films with the same zeal in heroine-oriented roles. Nayan’s cosmetics start-up is sought after by fashionistas.
Jindal (India), part of the BC Jindal Group, is all set to expand its Howrah steel plant in West Bengal with Rs 1,500-crore investment. Already operating two plants in the state producing a range of steel-based downstream products, the group will significantly enhance its production capabilities with this addition. The Jindal Group’s latest investment aligns with its broader plan to scale up steel production across India, aiming to invest Rs18,000 crore over the coming years to enhance overall manufacturing capacity. The new Rs 1,500-crore downstream facility in West Bengal, with an annual capacity of 0.6 million tonnes, is expected to boost the company’s existing capacity by 60%, significantly increasing production of coated flat products, pipes, and crash barriers. According to the company, the commissioning of the new cold rolling complex marks the completion of a key phase in the expansion project, raising Jindal India’s total downstream steel capacity from 1 million to 1.6 million tonnes annually. Currently, Jindal India operates two advanced West Bengal facilities specialising in cutting-edge colour coating, galvanising, and galvalume technologies, further strengthening its position in India’s steel sector. Beyond West Bengal, the company, through its subsidiary, Jindal India Steel Tech is setting up a greenfield steel manufacturing plant in Dhenkanal, Odisha. JISTL plans to invest a total of Rs 15,000 crore in Odisha in three phases by 2030, with the current Rs 3,600 crore investment marking the first phase of the project.
Each time Kerala’s ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) attempts to appease Lord Ayyappa, something horribly goes wrong. With elections around the corner, first municipality in December 2025 and assembly elections in early 2026, the CPM-led LDF has been doing its best to appease Lord Ayyappa. The Kerala government held a Global Ayyappa Sangamam on the banks of river Pamba last month, in the name of commemorating the platinum jubilee of Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), which manages Hindu temples across the state. The meets agenda also included promotion of pilgrim tourism and exploration of investment opportunities. The meet failed miserably when the Opposition Congress-led UDF and BJP opposed the meet. It ended in a whimper with very low attendance. The hype behind the meet led to the focus shifting to release of Ayyappa devotees arrested in the 2018 Sabarimala protest against the Supreme Court judgement permitting women of menstruating age to worship at the shrine. While devotees and people at large ignored the Supreme Court ruling, the LDF took special interest in implementing the Apex Court order by forcefully taking young women to the shrine with full police protection. This act left LDF not only alienating the Hindus in the state but also families of CPM cadres. The Left-oriented cadres, at least on paper may be atheists, but not their families.
Inasmuch as one would like to pat the selection committee for facilitating Indian cricket skip a few steps ahead by naming Shubman Gill as captain of the men in blue one-day international team, the committee refused to state its position on the status of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma vis-a-vis their selection for the 2027 World Cup. Ajit Agarkar was right in saying that that October 2025 is not the right time to take an affirmative call for an event that’s going to happen in October-November 2027. Surely Agarkar and his committee could no way have “blocked” Virat and Rohit’s seats well in advance to leave the other contenders short-changed. The selection committee may or may not remain the same after next year’s BCCI AGM but a matter of vital importance is whether Virat and Rohit would continue to be picked for all one-day internationals — in all 21 ODIs after the three-match series in Australia. India is scheduled to play South Africa, New Zealand, Afghanistan, West Indies and Sri Lanka (all a three match series at home till November 2026 and England and New Zealand, all a three-match away series) and indeed by end of 2026, a few more cricketers would be pressing hard for a place in the one-day team for the World Cup. India’s Test team will be occupied with a five-Test series at home in January-February 2027 before the scheduled WTC final in London, after which the focus will be on a round of a 50 over matches/tournaments. The million $ question is whether the selection committee and head coach Gautam Gambhir will allow the Virat-Rohit thorn to be in their flesh for that long.
Yashasvi Jaiswal made amends in the first innings of the second Test against the West Indies in New Delhi for a massive lapse in the first Test in Ahmedabad. The red-soil pitch at the NaMo Stadium had settled down and the left-hander had cracked seven 4s in his 54-ball essay. A century was there for the taking, but he marched back to the dressing room at 36, feathering fast bowler Jayden Seales to the keeper. He had cramped himself trying to work the ball around square point, but only directed the ball to the man with big gloves. He did not make such an error and stayed the whole of the first day in New Delhi, showing the appetite to score 173 not out in 253 balls with 22 x 4s. In a short span of two years and three months the southpaw who likens himself to a pugilist at the crease has gone after the leather, showing skill and courage and already put up five scores in excess of 150. He challenged the fast bowlers in Australia where he aggregated 391 runs in five Tests and 411 runs in England and proved that he is not just a run machine on featherbeds in India. He could have done a lot more in England, but his two centuries were valuable enough. His unbeaten 173 on the first day at New Delhi made him the leading scorer — after England’s Joe Root’s 2307 in 25 Tests — after his debut against the West Indies in July 2023. It was 2245 runs in 25 Tests for him, but his seventh century has left Root behind: Jaiswal has truly proved his solidity at the top of the order.
Sunil Gavaskar is known as the “Little Master” for his terrific batting feats against top-notch fast bowlers of his time. On Tuesday (Oct 7) evening, he described former teammate Bhagwat Chandrasekhar as the “Original Match Winner” of Indian cricket and that’s because as he said, India was not used to winning overseas before the polio-affected leg-spinner’s 6 for 38 in 18.1 overs brought down the mighty Ray Illingworth’s England at ‘The Oval’ in the summer of 1971. Gavaskar has been part of the Ceat Cricket Ratings awards for 27 years, but for the first time he held the award he received on behalf of the affectionately called “Chandra”, from Harsh Goenka, Chairman of the RPG Group. Gavaskar said that those days, Chandra was quicker than the team’s new ball operators in Abid Ali, Eknath Solkar and on occasions, himself and that he has never seen Chandra’s polio affected right hand as he always carried with him a full-sleeved shirt even while going to the bathroom. Gavaskar kept the audience at St. Regis rapt with an anecdote around how Dileep Sardesai prompted Chandra to bowl a delivery named after a race horse ‘Mill Reef’ and got rid of the stoical left-hander John Edrich who was bowled for nought in the second innings as England folded up for 101. Chandra was chosen for the Ceat Lifetime Achievement award for his 242 wickets in 58 Tests from 1964 to 1979 at 29.75 with two 10-wicket and 16 five-wicket hauls. He featured in 14 Test wins, nine at home and five overseas, including the historic series win against England in 1971, Auckland, Port of Spain and at Melbourne (6 for 52 and 6 for 52) and Sydney.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli – both have quit the Test and Twenty20 formats — played their last one-day international matches in the ICC Champions Trophy final on March 9, 2025 at the Dubai International Stadium. And since then have not played a single competitive match. But both have been included in the Men in Blue ODI team for the three-match series to be played against Australia at Perth, Adelaide and Sydney on October 19, 23 and 25. Sharma is 38 and Kohli will turn 37 next month and by the time the 2027 ICC World Cup arrives they will be older by around two years. The discerning is asking would it not have been wise to give opportunities to Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma, who have been in blazing form in the Twenty20 format of the game and played a big part in India’s Asia Cup title triumph putting it across Pakistan in the final at Dubai. The Chairman of the BCCI’s Senior selection committee Ajit Agarkar explained that there is no place in the team for Abhishek because Sharma and Gill will open the innings and Yashasvi Jaiswal “who is such a good player” is on their heels and suggested that Varma may have missed the bus narrowly. Varma played a title winning knock in the final of the Asia Cup against Pakistan. Agarkar also explained that this is not the right time to think about the 50-over World Cup in 2027 and that players will be rotated after the three-match series in Australia. Abhishek and Varma are in the Twenty20 team that will play matches at Canberra, Melbourne, Hobart, Gold Coast and Brisbane.
India reigned supreme in the first of the two-Test series against the West Indies; it was not unexpected though. Once the team from the Caribbean — known once for its flair and daredevilry and fast bowling — was skittled out for 162 in the first innings and in 44.1 overs, the writing on the wall was clear. It folded up for 146 in the second innings in three and half hours and capitulated to a massive defeat. Quite obviously the team with only a sprinkling of talent and a big vacuum in experience and wherewithal, struggled to cope against a quality seam and spin bowling resources the home team had. Its own bowling suffered in the absence of Shamar Joseph and Alzarri Joseph and the remaining seam and spin bowlers did not possess the class to check the Indian batting department that prospered with three centuries. After being thrashed 3-0 by New Zealand not long ago in a home series, the outcome at the NaMo Stadium was a refreshing change, sustaining the trend of competing hard after the admirable 2-2 result in England. Playing without the likes of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Ravichandran Ashwin and Mohammed Shami, India, led by the young captain Shubman Gill scored a commanding win and it must be hoping to repeat the same at the Ferozeshah Kotla Test starting in a week’s time. The potential of a new spin combination in Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav and Washington Sundar showed itself, although Sundar will have improved in every match to become dependable. But as a batting allrounder he fits into the team well. After winning the Asia Cup in Dubai, the win in the Test match here proved that India will remain a tough rival across all formats.
Dhruv Jurel was the 40th wicket-keeper to be capped in Test cricket by India. He is one of the most fiercely determined cricketers to have emerged from the BCCI’s domestic tournaments in recent times. An aggressive batter, he offered a choice to the national selectors with his multi-skill gifts when Rishabh Pant was rendered hors de combat because of a car crash and his immediate replacement Kona Bharat. Jurel made his debut against England at Rajkot and impressed one and all. In five Test matches he scored 255 runs, missing a first century in the Ranchi Test, bowled by left arm spinner Tom Hartley for 90 with 6x 4s and 4x6s. He played three Tests against England coming in for Bharat after the second Test at Visakhapatnam. Then he kept wicket in the first Test at Perth and did not trouble the scorers getting out to Mitchell Marsh and Pat Cummins and thereafter he replaced Pant (out with a foot injury) in the fifth Test at the Oval. And on the second day of the first Test against the West Indies at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad the 24-year-old from Agra, Uttar Pradesh and son of a Kargil War havaldar, became the 12th Indian wicket-keeper to score a century (125, 269 minutes, 210 balls, 15x 4s, 3x6s) and steered his team to a commanding position in the Test. He also became the 6th Indian wicket-keeper to score a century against the West Indies after Vijay Manjrekar (1953), Farokh Engineer (1975), Ajay Ratra (2002, now national selector), M.S. Dhoni (2006) and Wriddhiman Saha (2016). Jurel celebrated his memorable feat with an open palm salute after a half century and Guard of Honour tribute after the century. Super show!
Richard Illingworth — son of the famous Ashes winning captain from Yorkshire, Ray, and a former England left-arm spinner — who joined the ICC panel of umpires in 2013 has officiated in Test matches in India, seven times before the first Test against the West Indies at the Narendra Modi Stadium. He has been voted as the Umpire of the Year by the ICC in 2018, 2022, 2023 and 2024. He has officiated in 10 ODIs in India, including eight in World Cups and in matches featuring India, Australia, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, South Africa and New Zealand. Currently in the ICC Elite Panel, Illingworth is one of the umpires most respected by players across the world. There are nine overseas umpires who have officiated in more than 10 Tests in India like Kumar Dharmasena (Sri Lanka -14),Richard Kettleborough (England-14) Marias Erasmus (South Africa-10), Ian Gould (England-12), Rudi Koertzen (South Africa-11), Nigel Long (England-12), David Shepherd (England-12), Simon Taufel (Australia-10) and Rod Tucker (Australia-11). The ICC’s decision to go for neutral umpires was trialled in 1992 and it became a permanent feature in 1994; all done to eliminate alleged biased umpiring by home umpires. It began with one neutral umpire, but from 2002, both on-field umpires were nominated from neutral countries. The ICC reverted to the home umpire panel during Covid times before reverting to the neutral panel in 2022. The on-field umpires for the ongoing Test – India-West Indies — are Illingworth and Alex Wharf, also from England. The third umpire, who helps in DRS decisions, is Paul Reiffel from Australia. The match referee is Zimbabwean Andy Pycroft.
KL Rahul gave another exhibition of a “Kadak” knock on a bright day of the first Test against the West Indies at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Friday. The disappointing aspect of his classy undertaking was that he went into the long interval of the second day (lunch) with an exact 100 and on resumption did not add a single to it, slap-driving with his bottom hand directing the ball into the hands of the cover folder. The right hander had demonstrated pluck and patience while facing the debutant left arm spinner Khary Pierre bowling over the wicket, but saw an opportunity to smash the experienced left armed Jomel Warrican bowling from around the wicket and tossing the ball to an inviting off stump line. Rahul whose previous Test centuries were at the Centurion (101) against South Africa and at Leeds (137) and Lord’s (100) against England, was as usual composed and thwarted the attempts of the West Indies attack that has fast bowler Jayden Seales and the experienced off spinner Roston Chase and Warrican. Decisive with his footwork, Rahul struck 12 x 4s in his 197-ball exercise in 12 minutes short of five hours in the middle to make an exact 100; his second home Test century after nearly nine years. He made 199 against England at Chepauk in December 2016. He cut and carved and executed shots in front of the wicket. More importantly he added weight to the first wicket stand of 68 with Yashasvi Jaiswal and 97 with Shubman Gill for the third wicket. Rahul had the wherewithal to keep at bay the spinners who appeared to be getting a grip on the red soil surface. It was a splendid knock from the veteran of 65 Tests -15th at home.
Apollo Tyres with a reported revenue of $ 3.1 billion for 2025 seems to have made a winning start — displaying its brand name by way of front-of-shirt advertisement in India’s senior men cricketers seen in action against the West Indies at the Narendra Modi Stadium. The women in blue playing the ICC Women’s World Cup are likely to sport a new top with the Apollo Tyres brand in the second match against Pakistan in Colombo, but the tyre company has set off with a smooth run with Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj in action for 14 overs each on the first day of the first Test. The company has signed a record deal worth around Rs 580 crore up to March 2028. Apollo Tyres replaced Dream XI as the front of shirt sponsors after the Union government outlawed real-money online games in the country. The focus was on India’s 11 players on the field after the West Indies chose to bat winning the toss. By tea time India’s new ball operators in Bumrah (3 wkts) and Siraj (4 wkts) were calling the shots. Siraj is taking the centre for the team in flannels with Bumrah not at his very best because of a nagging back. The live wire from Charminar city scythed through the West Indies top order and Bumrah came into his own in the third spell of six overs plus in which he bowled at 140 kmph plus to uproot the stumps of two West Indies batters. With Mohammed Shami not in the reckoning, Siraj with 100 plus Test wickets is seen as an ideal foil to Bumrah and all set to even don the bowling leadership cap, very soon!
Who would have imagined that India would be playing a home Test in October 2025 without Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Ravichandran Ashwin and Mohammed Shami? It’s a reality Indian cricket has accepted though Shami (64 Tests, 229 welts) is yet to retire. Once the team management hinted that he may not be in the scheme of things, Ashwin (106 Tests, 537 wickets) bid adieu to international cricket in the course of the five Test series in Australia. And after the series, Kohli (123 Tests, 9230 runs) and Sharma (67 Tests, 4301 runs) followed suit. Kohli played his last at Sydney and Sharma stepped back from the team owing to lack of form after the Melbourne Test. Kohli was India’s bulwark and run machine at the middle order and Sharma was sort of an unconventional opener looking to go after the leather from the word go. Ashwin was of course a great match winner for India at home. It’s not just these three, the selectors had conveyed that Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane were expendable and would find it difficult to get a recall and so Pujara announced his retirement from all cricket. Rahane has not yet and he has chosen to play another season of domestic cricket. Of course, Mahendra Singh Dhoni retired a long time ago. Clearly the 0-3 defeat in the home series against New Zealand and nothing much to show for displays in Australia hastened the exit from the centre stage by Kohli and Sharma. Indian cricket has seen the captaincy mantle piece change from Sharma to Shubman Gill. Ravindra Jadeja and KL Rahul are the last two remaining of the Kohli-Sharma era still playing Test cricket. But what a change in a short span of time!
Skipper Roton Chase won the toss in the 48th Test between the West Indies and India in India. With the tall and slenderly built Chase calling correctly the toss-win scores levelled itself with both teams winning 24 each. It’s an interesting trivia, but Chase would be disappointed with his team’s batting display, skittled out for 162, some 16 minutes before tea-time. After a fascinating India-England series in England that ended in a 2-2 stalemate, India’s fast medium bowlers Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj, accustomed to manipulate the SG Test ball got into the act accounting for seven dismissals — Siraj four and Bumrah three. They sent down 14 overs each and conceded 82 runs together and struck blows to provide their team an opportunity to take control of the first Test. There was much talk about workload management for Bumrah, but he bowled three spells -the breakdown being 6 with the new ball, two starting from the 21st over and six overs starting from the 33rd over. Post the fifth and final Test against Australia in Sydney early this year, Bumrah has been far from his best, playing only three Tests in the series against England. In such a scenario, Siraj lifted his effort and commitment taking 23 wickets at 32.43. Bumrah pitched in with one scalp in his opening burst of half a dozen overs. Then Siraj produced a lovely off stump line delivery to eject a stoical Chase from the middle after which Bumrah showed his “yorker-length” class and calibre as the visitor folded up in under four and a half hours. With more than 12 sessions remaining, India has given itself a chance to go up in the opening Test.
Glimpses of the public’s dwindling interest in the multi-day Test cricket in India were evident on the first day of the first Test against the West Indies at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Thursday (Oct 2). Even given the fact that the locals were partaking with gusto on the ninth night of the Navratri festivities, it did not convince the discerning followers of the traditional format that there would be a bigger turnout when India’s turn arrives to bat. There were hardly 500 spectators at the stadium, which is well-connected by a railway metro service to the main gate of the stadium. The rebuilt stadium can hold over one lakh spectators, and the locals have shown a bias towards white-ball cricket during the IPL matches and bilateral international series. Fifteen Test matches have been played at the venue with the inaugural match between India and the West Indies in the winter of 1983. According to local sports journalist and scorer Tushar Trivedi, around 10000 spectators had shown up on the first day of the inaugural Test at a locality in Motera. The West Indies, led by Clive Lloyd, won the Test by 138 runs after fast bowler Wayne Daniel took 5 for 39 in the first innings and Michael Holding took 4 for 30 in the second. Sunil Gavaskar made 90 in the first innings and Kapil Dev took 9 for 83 in the second innings. After that defeat in 1983, five months after India had brought down the mighty Kings of ODI cricket in the Prudential World Cup final at Lord’s, India lost one more Test (to South Africa). India has won six Tests and drawn seven.
Wesley Hall and Roy Gilchrist! India’s old-time cricketing aficionados recall the hostile fast bowling of these two deadly men who operated with the new ball and old, and made batters quiver in their boots. If the first West Indies tour of India of the 1948-49 series was memorable for the batting displays of Everton Weekes (779 runs) and Clyde Walcott (452 runs), their next visit for the 1958-59 series was made unforgettable by the lethal bowling of Hall and Gilchrist. Hall took 30 wickets in five Tests at 17.67 and Gilchrist bagged 27 wickets at 16.12 and the great allrounder Garry Sobers sending down left-arm fast medium took 10 wickets for a grand tally of 67 by the three. As a result, the West Indies led by Gerry Alexander won the five Test series 3-0. These two were perhaps the first pair of fast bowlers who hunted down the Indian batters on home soil. Nine years later in the 1966-67 series that was won by the West Indies 2-0, off-spinner Lance Gibbs (18 wickets) and Sobers (14) remained prominent and then on the 1974-75 series Andy Roberts – the admirable fast bowler whom Sunil Gavaskar reckons as the quickest – took 32 wickets. Roberts finished with 37 wickets in India, one lower than Hall’s 38. Others like the great Malcom Marshall (36 wickets), Michael Holding (30), and Winston Davis (27) impressed to outplay India at home. Gilchrist took 27, Vanburn Holder 25, Sobers 24 and Sylvester Clarke 21 as a total of 44 West Indies fast bowlers contributed to the 528-wicket haul on Indian soil. But according to the old timers, the pair in Hall and Gilchrist have to be the best!
Shubman Gill was calm and composed at his second press conference in India as captain of the Test match team. The 25-year-old young Turk from the Punjab plains was an unknown in Test cricket when named the captain of the five-Test series in England. The BCCI’s senior national selection committee zeroed in on him once Jasprit Bumrah conveyed to the BCCI and the selection committee that he will be available to play only in three Tests in England because of his nagging back. Gill surprised one and all with his solid and spectacular undertaking with the bat scoring 754 runs with four centuries including a double of 269 at Edgbaston, Birmingham. Much against the odds Gill went on to baulk the home team and return home with a praiseworthy 2-2 draw thus earning two full World Championship points winning at Edgbaston and the Oval. Gill, now 26, put an end to all talk about his captaincy and is all set for a long run, maybe across formats in the foreseeable future. At the press conference room at the Narendra Stadium, Ahmedabad on Wednesday, Gill looked assured and careful with what he said fielding questions from the media. Familiar to the locals as captain of the Gujarat Titans team in the IPL, Gill will open the innings with Yashasvi Jaiswal and he will be eager to make his bat talk facing the West Indies attack that will be spearheaded by fast bowler Jayden Seales. Gill is a rare talent who has come good in Test cricket, one-day internationals and Twenty20. From tomorrow till mid-November, he will get four Tests to win the WTC points.
The DP Asia Cup Twenty20 tournament in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has overwhelmingly encapsulated the bad blood between the rabid followers of the game across the border and the diaspora of the India and Pakistan hue in the world. The social media – largely Indian – has been bellicose and proactive in the days leading to the eight-nation tournament in which the Suryakumar Yadav team has remained unbeaten. Many, following the Pahalgam terror attack on Indians, did not want the men in blue team to lock horns with Pakistan, but with India (read BCCI) being the host nation, a boycott against Pakistan was an improbable event to happen! The Indian team chose to respond in a different way though; it did not even bother to accept “well done” greetings from the Pakistan players or extend their hands to them in the two “blockbuster and money spinning” matches featuring the two teams in the tournament. The ICC intervened when matters went a bit out of control and three players — India captain Suryakumar Yadav and Pakistan’s Haris Rauf and Shahibzada Farhan — were censured for their comments and gestures resembling politics. India outplayed Pakistan in the Preliminary and Super4 matches which brought joy to the Indian fans and angered the Pakistan fans and hoped for a turnaround in the final which the BCCI officials chose to see on the small screen after their Annual General Meeting in Mumbai. The Asia Cup Twenty20 in the UAE has shown that ‘encounters’ between the two in sports arenas will be far from cordial in the future including the women’s in the World Cup clash in Colombo.
What an irony that Mithun Manhas, a sub-committee member appointed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), to administrator cricket in Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA), is to be elected as President (unopposed) of the BCCI itself! Those who call the shots at the BCCI, a financial behemoth, surprised one and all by choosing to back Manhas for the post of President and five more to its three-year Apex Council. The 45-year-old Manhas, born in Jammu and Kashmir, was not lucky to play for India, but he has ticked a handful of weighty boxes; he is a 157-match first class cricketer for Delhi and J&K, turned out in big numbers in limited over matches and Twenty20, was contracted by three IPL teams as player, coached a handful of IPL teams and the Bangladesh under-19 team. His latest role is “Member, Cricket operations and Development” JKCA. The question is “Does he receive any honorarium” from JKCA? Manhas was one among the few, but well-known like Sourav Ganguly, Harbhajan Singh, Raghuram Bhat and Jaydev Shah in the 35-card electoral list and hence eligible to contest elections. And at the residence of a Union Minister in New Delhi on Saturday (Sep 20) some influential members of the BCCI proposed Manhas and five others for different posts. The discerning in the BCCI – past and present administrators- feel that the Supreme Court validated Reforms-in-Cricket incorporated in the BCCI Constitution has eliminated the democratic process of an election. Elections did not take place in 2019 and 2022 and when vacancies were created for three posts from November 2024. But with Manhas set to become President on September 28, the trend of cricketers becoming BCCI Presidents continues.
For a change, India’s sports fans curiously diverted their attention on Thursday (Sep 18) — from the Arab world’s pride, Dubai, where the Asia Cup cricket is happening to the East Asian capital city of Japan, Tokyo where the World Athletics championship is grabbing eyeballs. Amidst all the high-voltage running events on the track — thanks to the wonderful broadcast by JioHotstar — Indians were riveted on Neeraj Chopra, indisputably the country’s all-time great Track and Field athlete. The 27-year-old gold and silver medallist at the Tokyo Olympics (2020, but held in 2021) and Paris Olympics (2024) and winner of the World Championship in Budapest (Hungary) was expected to deliver another podium finish, but after two days of action, the champion felt disgusted and disappointed failing to go the distance. Two years ago, he had pipped the rest of the field with a 88.17 metres effort, but India’s track and field star for a decade fumbled and fumed with a best of just 84.03 metres, his second throw and best of the night out in Tokyo. Chopra was as flat as any top-notch athlete can be in any sport, but none expected him really to best his personal best of 90.23 metres at Qatar’s Doha Meeting at the Suhaim bin Hamad Stadium four months ago. Chopra could not spring a surprise as much as another Indian competitor, Sachin Yadav’s superb personal best of 86.27 metres to finish behind the bronze winner. Coached by legend Jan Zelenzy, Chopra finished 8th in a field of 12. The Javelin gold was won by the 2012 Olympics champion Keshorn Walcott coached by Klaus Bartonietz who had made Chopra a Javelin champion that he is.
A look at the representatives of the 35 members for the BCCI’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) scheduled for September 28 – published by the Electoral Officer in the documents section of the BCCI website – will tell one straightaway that none of them even thought of nominating a woman to attend the meeting. This year’s AGM will elect five office-bearers and one member representative to the nine-member Apex Council for a three year term. It is regrettable that the Indian Railways, Armed Forces/ Services and Association of Indian Universities (AIU) have not been able to find ways to nominate its representatives. While the three government departments have not explored ways, former India cricketers Sourav Ganguly (ex- BCCI president), Harbhajan Singh, Raghuram Bhat will attend the AGM representing Bengal, Punjab and Karnataka. The National Sports Governance Bill 2025 mandates the presence of four women at least in a 15 member executive committee of a national sports federation, and this will happen once the National Sports Board is put in place and the sports federations seek its membership. But as of now, none of the BCCI members have deemed it fit to nominate a woman, be it a former India or State cricketer or otherwise, to attend the AGM when many of them could have taken the step to empower women at a meeting like the AGM when policy decisions are taken. The BCCI, under Jay Shah took a number of initiatives to provide an impetus to women’s cricket. The young ICC chair, Shah, has increased the prize money manifold for the upcoming ICC Women’s World Cup, but the BCCI members are still reluctant to be game-changers by nominating a woman for a meeting that is convened once in a year.
After brushing off the modicum challenge from United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the DP World Asia Cup 2025, the men in blue Twenty20 is girding up its loins to compete against Pakistan — always a marquee match that keeps the turnstiles busy. India is used to playing Pakistan at the Middle-East venue and the local fans — Indians and Pakistanis settled there for their bread and butter — have thronged the Dubai International Stadium to root for their team and rejoice or regret at the outcome. Dubai is assured of at least two high-octane matches between the Asian arch rivals — one in the group stage and one in the Super4 round robin — and the price of tickets for these matches are invariably on the steeper side, especially the high-end hospitality boxes. A few months ago, the fans supporting the men in blue had a gala time with Rohit Sharma’s team winning all matches, including against Pakistan, to win the ICC Champions Trophy. The privately-owned stadium has a capacity to hold around 35,000 spectators and squeeze in a couple of thousands more, and the tournament organisers would hope for a full house on Sunday (Sep 14) and create a high decibel sound befitting the occasion. The Twenty20 game would move with lighting speed and India skipper Suryakumar Yadav himself would go through the emotions of sporting the Captaincy cap for the first time against Pakistan whose captain is Salman Ali Agha. With stalwarts Babar Azam and Mohammed Rizwan dropped for the tournament, Pakistan would look to be depleted, but as Agha said at the Captains’ presser, in Twenty20 anyone can win a game! But nerves can still play havoc on both teams.
If it’s September, action in the BCCI cannot be far away. Once in three years the 37 members of Cricket’s governing body elect a new set of office bearers and one from among themselves to the Apex Council for a term of three years. Six years ago they elected former India captain Sourav Ganguly as President, and then in 2022, they chose the 1983 World Cup star Roger Binny. These were trailblazing moves, and with the BCCI AGM scheduled for September 28, rumours are rife about those calling the shots being inclined to favour a former cricketer for the top post. The name of Sachin Tendulkar has been going around for some time, but most of the BCCI members are clueless. Once the Committee of Administrators paved way for an elected body in 2019, the BCCI has been run by the Secretary’s office of which Jay Shah was at the helm; till late last year when he became the independent chair of the International Cricket Council. Until 2013 the BCCI was run by seasoned administrators like Jagmohan Dalmiya, Madhavrao Scindia, Ranbir Singh Mahendra, Inderjit Singh Bindra, Sharad Pawar, Shashank Manohar and N Srinivasan. Where are such people, one may ask! Ganguly and Binny became the trend setters and there is every possibility of a cricketer — Tendulkar or anyone else — being anointed as the President. Ganguly represented the Cricket Association of Bengal and Binny, the Karnataka State Cricket Association at the BCCI AGM. A cricketer turned administrator Brijesh Patel missed the bus in 2019, with the BJP backing Ganguly to the hilt. The absence of a dynamic administrator may compel the BCCI to complete a hat-trick of famous cricketer-Presidents!
It’s not the case of “now or never” for the women in blue team as it targets the ICC 50-over World Cup yet another time, but another opportunity to shine for possibly the near-perfect team chosen for the September – November event to be held in India and Sri Lanka. India’s captain Harmanpreet Kaur has played 26 matches over four World Cups from 2009 in Australia and Smriti Mandhana has played 16 over two World Cups from 2017 and they will be in the vanguard of over a month-long campaign. They along with all-rounder Deepti Sharma would be keen and eager to win the title. The likes of Anjum Chopra, Neetu David, Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami had memorable careers, but the big prize eluded them; Mithali, Jhulan, Harmanpreet, Deepti and Smriti almost got it in 2017 in England. This World Cup will also keep the likes of Richa Ghosh, Jemima Rodrigues, Harleen Deol, Renuka Singh Thakur, Sheh Rana, Yastika Bhatia, Radha Yadav in the centre stage along with newcomers Pratika Rawal, Kranti Gaud, Amanjot Kaur, Arundhati Reddy and Sree Charani. The big miss in this talented list is the flamboyant Shafali Verma who has hit 7x6s and 81x4s in 28 matches. Australia, the 6-time title winner and which enjoys a 20-4 H2H record against India can turn out to be a stumbling block. The other two winners England and New Zealand and South Africa will compete hard for a place in the knockout with Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh, but India which has played 29 matches since January 2024 will fancy its chances. The preparatory three match series at home against Australia can be seen as a dry run.
Sunil Gavaskar was known as a man of “centuries” — with the willow in hands and dispersing the most fearsome fast bowlers of his time. There are a number of centuries to his credit; but a day after his statue was unveiled outside the Mumbai Cricket Association’s brand new Sharad Pawar Cricket Museum that’s located in between the Cricket Centre where the BCCI is a tenant and the Garware Club House, India’s all-time best batting maestro, must have created another century of sorts at his party, humbly shaking hands with over hundred people, all teammates of his school, college, Dadar Union Club, Mumbai and India teams, other teams and of course his dear friends from different walks of life. It’s a much-awaited SMG annual get-together, nay a convivial party with a strict “no no” to speeches, with the little giant of a man playing a perfect host. This time around he remembered teammates and friends who were full of beans in the previous year dos, but had sadly made their departure to the Elysian Fields. Milind Rege, Padmakar Shivalkar, Dileep Doshi, Vijay ‘Papa’ Karkhanis , Anshuman Gaekwad, Ehsan Hakim and Abdul Ismail’s names were displayed on miniature bat at the Boundary Hall of the MCA Recreation Centre. Only recently the Gavaskars had celebrated the centenary birth anniversary of their mother and soon after, the MCA inaugurated his life size statue that prompted Amul to announce to the world that “Sunny dais are here again.” A famous name in the sporting world, Gavaskar has been part of the cricketing canvas and folklore for around six decades!
So far it has been a one-sided game with the pro-Shreyas Iyer group outnumbering a minuscule going with the senior national selection committee’s call to not pick him for the Asia Cup Twenty20 in Dubai. Iyer has not been part of the Men in Blue Twenty20 team since the first week of December 2023 and the selection committee say that Iyer has to first “settle down’ after being in the bad books of the powers that be after the second Test (Visakhapatnam) of the home series against England in February 2024. He was thrown out of the Central Contract by the BCCI. But the Mumbaikar staged a comeback for the ICC Champions Trophy in the United Arab Emirates and was awarded a Grade B Central Contract. The Iyer-group — Sanjay Manjrekar being the most recent to express surprise at Iyer missing the bus for the Asia Cup — feels that the smart batter who has the wherewithal to force the pace and is strong against spin bowlers should have been an automatic choice in the 15-member squad for the Asia Cup. But the Selection Committee steered by Ajit Agarkar has stuck their neck out retaining Rinku Singh for his quick-witted approach to batting in any given situation. But this column understands that Iyer is very much in the scheme of things for next year’s Twenty20 World Cup to be played in India and Sri Lanka. The selection committee announced a 15-member squad for Asia Cup in the Gulf region and five standbys. The committee may have shortlisted the likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Iyer and Mohammed Siraj for the home World Twenty20 in India next year. Iyer could be even recalled for the white ball series, including the Twenty20 series, in Australia in two months.
The chatter in the social media as to whether India should play Pakistan — after the Pahalgam terror attack — in the Asia Cup Twenty20 in Dubai in September has subsided a bit; it may gather steam though once the Indian team is announced on Tuesday (Aug 19), but the media has already gone on an overdrive to speculate the likely squad for the eight nation tournament. The Continental tournament is the first of a handful that will help the big boys in Asia to prepare for the Twenty20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka in 2026 and so India – the ICC World Twenty20 winner last year – would be keen and eager to put its team through the wringer from now on. India will play Pakistan on September 14, in between its opening campaign against UAE and Oman. The Asia Cup spins around India-Pakistan clashes with a full house assured at the Dubai International Stadium. India is the host of the Asia Cup, but it has chosen to run the competition in Dubai because of Pakistan’s presence in the competition and also that a hybrid model would not work what with India refusing to travel to Pakistan for the ICC Champions Trophy that Rohit Sharma’s team won in Dubai six months ago. With India drawing the Test series (2-2) in England and with skipper Shubman Gill in good nick, the grapevine is rife with speculation of who all will make the cut, in particular Jasprit Bumrah, Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shreyas Iyer etc. The selection committee will look at a basket brimming with players, all talented bringing in their explosive dynamics to the 120-ball format.
The National Sports Governance Bill (NSGB) 2025 has not yet set the cat among the pigeons, but it will, once the supreme National Sports Board (NSB) is put in place by the Central government. Seasoned sports administrators fear that the NSB can play hell with the majority of the national sports federations and individuals. Former Olympian and seasoned administrator (Athletics) Adille Sumariwalla though feels that the age (up to 75) and tenure (three terms of four years each for the top three office bearers (president, secretary and treasurer) with a four-year cooling off after 12 years is a step in the right direction as this will help Indians get elected to World bodies and campaign for international events. Time will tell how the NSB functions, but cricket (BCCI) and its members — governed by the Supreme Court-endorsed Constitution as recommended by Justice Lodha — will need clarity on the amendments its AGM can consider. The BCCI and its members’ Apex Council is set at nine, with two nominees from the ICA and one from the CGI. The NSGB has capped a national federation’s Executive Committee to 15 — with a minimum of four women representatives, and this is where the first of teething problems can start because of the structure of the BCCI, its member units and how its Apex Council is elected. Newbie cricket administrators also point to the eligibility criteria to contest for the top three posts at the national and member units. The present bye-laws allow for a first-generation administrator to contest for the office bearers post, the NSGB appears to block it. A lot of clarity is needed for the BCCI and its member units and other federations, too.
With eight scalps at ‘The Oval’ Prasidh Krishna has definitely given a boost to his fledgling Test career. The 191cm tall fast bowler was expected to play a big role in the five-Test series in England especially with uncertainties surrounding the linchpin Jasprit Bumrah. His performance in the three Tests at Leeds, Edgbaston and ‘The Oval’ was like a curate’s egg; he salvaged a lot with 4 for 62 and 4 for 126 in the cliffhanger of final Test and rubber. The important thing was that he took eight of England’s 20 wickets, with the livewire, game-changer and clincher Mohammed Siraj scalping nine! There is no denying that Krishna — who underwent quadriceps related surgery in February 2024 — held his nerves and demonstrated skill control to support Siraj; he beat and bowled Jos Tongue neck and crop to mount pressure on the home team that was forced to send Chris Woakes with his damaged left hand in sling and beneath the sweater with 16 runs separating the two teams. Krishna was hammered for 220 runs at Leeds and 111 runs at Edgbaston and was dropped for the two subsequent Tests at Lords and Old Trafford before the team chose him ahead of Anshul Kamboj once the call was made to rest Bumrah. Quickest in India’s pace pack, Krishna got rid of four batters in the first innings for 62, but was carted by Joe Root and Harry Brook to concede 126 in the second, but timely blows took his tally to eight in the match for 22 wickets in six Tests. Krishna had played out of his skin, indeed.
Is the time upon Indian cricket to take a call on the residual ODI careers of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli? A true giant of cricket across formats, Kohli and Sharma have bid adieu from the Twenty20 and multi-day Test cricket, but have not done so from the one-day limited overs internationals. Their timing to leave the scene from the Twenty20 format was perfect as it came after India’s Twenty20 World Cup triumph in the West Indies. The two chose to quit the Test format a few days leading to the team selection for the five-Test series in England. Now, with India coming out shining in England (2-2 draw) and Shubman Gill weighing in as batter and captain, will the decision-makers (the BCCI, selection committee) and the head coach Gautam Gambhir) brainstorm to overhaul the ODI team for the three-match series in Australia in October; three match series against South Africa at home in November. The ODI series in Bangladesh scheduled for August 2025 has been put off. Sharma would be 40+ and Kohli 38 + when the ICC World Cup arrives in 2027. It would not be prudent to pick them in 2025 and dump them in 2027. Five months ago India won the ICC Champions Trophy under Sharma’s leadership. There has been a cathartic change in Indian cricket with Gill taking charge and delivering results. The onus is on the selection committee, Gambhir and Gill (should he be nominated captain for white ball men in blue teams) to not to delay making it known their idea of India’s ODI team for the immediate future and the next World Cup.
Yashasvi Jaiswal has completed his batting duties on his first tour of England. As an opening batter, the left-hander can be termed a success because he coped well in easy and difficult conditions to make 411 runs in 10 outings, with two centuries and as many half, for a strike rate fractionally lower than 70. Those who saw him play a shot that can be described as “unwarranted, nay, reckless” — as he did in the second innings of the third Test at Lord’s — feel that his response to fast bowler Jofra Archer in the seventh ball he faced was a gift to England. He was dismissed for 0 and India lost the Test by 22 runs. The argument that, India — in spite of the swashbuckler’s don’t care attitude when his team required only 193 to win — should have won the Test and taken a 2-1 lead midway through the series is correct, but his fans and critics as well believe that someone playing his third full series — England in India, Australia in Australia and England in England — lacked common sense on that occasion. After a century plus start, in the first innings of the Leeds Test, Yashasvi finished the series with a second century in the second innings of the Oval Test, but here was a heavy duty left hander who could have gone past 500, just as his captain Shubman Gill, KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja did. England would have indeed told Jaiswal that he could have done a bit more with the bat!
One can understand the sadness in Abhimanyu Easwaran’s father, Ranganathan Easwaran, who has been waiting patiently for his son to be capped in Test cricket. Abhimanyu has proved his mettle as an opening batter in first class cricket for Bengal in the Ranji Trophy, for teams in the Duleep Trophy and for India ‘A’. The right hander has played 103 matches, amassed 7841 runs with 27 x 100s and 31 x 50 plus scores. He has played 89 one-day matches, scored 3857 runs, with 9 x 100s and 23 x 50 plus scores. Abhimanyu has been around for a dozen years, and perhaps one with these numbers would have played for India. The fact, unfortunately though is, he has not, while the likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sai Sudharsan have marched forward. Abhimanyu has been part of two big five-Test series in Australia and England and the team management have not found it ripe and fit for him to pad up even once. With Jaiswal and Rohit Sharma and Jaiswal and KL Rahul, being the opening pair in the last two and a half years, the Sharma-Rahul Dravid team could not find a place for him. Ditto with Sharma and Gautam Gambhir and now Shubman Gill and Gambhir have not looked at him, when on this tour of England, there appeared to be openings. Those who have mattered on this tour — Captain, Coach and the Chairman of selectors, Ajit Agarkar — did not seem to have the confidence to pick him ahead of the middle order batters Karun Nair — on a comeback– or the left-hander Sudharsan. Abhimanyu’s father is peeved because his son has scored runs, has been picked in the squad, but not capped yet. The big question now is whether Abhimanyu will make the Test cut at all!
KL Rahul who is on his 25th Test series in 10 years has not been able to stamp his authority in a consistent way though. He was ever a batter with promise and potential. When he scored a 110 in his third Test innings in Sydney in January 2015, he was seen as a gifted opener emerging out of the Karnataka stable and in the mould of a typical opener, showing the full face of the bat in defence and sure shot in stroke making. After 109 innings (109th incomplete) in 62 Tests, it can be said that he belonged to the highest echelons of international cricket, in particular in red-ball cricket. He has evolved over time and the first thing that he would tell even a layman is that of his organised ways of responding to a delivery from a fast bowler or a spinner. He has not figured in 46 Tests after his debut in Australia, but he is the fourth highest run getter for India after his debut. Only three others — Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane — have scored more than him, but in many more Tests. He has scored 3765 runs with ten x 100s, nine of them in Sydney, Colombo, Kingston, The Oval, Lord’s, Centurion Park, and Headingley. Rahul has scored 3311 runs as an opener and for the first time in his career he went past the 500-run mark in the course of his second innings at Manchester. He has gritted it out to score 508 + runs at an average exceeding 72 and become the second highest run-getter on the tour of England contributing almost 18 % of the team score. Underrated all through his career, Rahul is finally getting his due!
For the first time in four Tests India’s pace battery was dispersed with ease and purpose by the England openers Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley who had an average of 45.38 against India with an opening stand aggregate of 726 in eight Tests going into Manchester. On the second day of the fourth Test they added 166 to take the tally to 892, a mere 41 runs adrift of an England record of 933 for the first wicket collection by Alastair Cook and Andrew Strauss in 11 Tests at 46.65. It was the eighth highest century-plus first-wicket stand for England against India and Crawley (now 774 runs against India) and Duckett (now 726 runs against India) — after a lacklustre undertaking in the first three Tests at Leeds, Edgbaston and Lord’s — did enough damage, fed around the pads for easy pickings. Duckett scores at around 4.85 runs an over against India which is actually much lower than his career average of 5.17. And Crawley scores at around 3.6 an over against India which is lower than his career average of scoring at 3.9 an over. Duckett has two centuries against India, but Crawley, none. These two have been the most successful opening pair against India in the last decade and second for over four decades. The right-hander Crawley got going at Manchester after being troubled by India’s pace attack in the first three Tests. And after scoring 62 and 149 at Leeds, Duckett has been below par. But their big effort at the top of the order in the Manchester Test has put England in a strong position in the Test and thereby the series itself.
A skirmish between India and England, that’s been fascinating so far, is set to resume at Manchester from July 23. England will strive for a 3-1 lead and a series win before the teams travel to London for the fifth and final Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar trophy at The Oval. While England — given an impetus to its attack by the return of fast bowler Jofra Archer — will take the field with its tail up, India will have to do the catching up with no leeway for mistakes in the three departments of the game. The first three Tests have delivered contests that the purists of the sport would have taken delight at; so remarkable have they been. And yet it is India, shepherded by the young captain in Shubman Gill, that appears to be on the precipice before the first ball is sent down at Manchester. Gill has to get his No 3 in Karun Nair to be more productive and tell Yashasvi Jaiswal not to throw away his wicket. Then he has to find a bowling group that has the wherewithal to take 20 wickets. Jasprit Bumrah appears to be a case of “fait accompli” and lead the attack, a perforce situation for India dictated by England’s 2-1 lead in the series and an 8-day gap between the Lord’s and Manchester Tests. Mohammed Siraj, who flared up in the third Test will be his Dukes-ball partner. Seamer Anshul Kamboj has been added as a cover for the injured Arshdeep Singh. Gill has to choose from Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna and Kamboj as first change. Gill has plenty in his plate — including Rishab Pant’s finger injury — to ponder at in order to keep the series alive.
Kuldeep Yadav has every reason to believe that he has been given the short shrift in the first three Tests of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy played at Leeds, Edgbaston and Lord’s. Clearly head coach Gautam Gambhir, captain Shubman Gill did not have the confidence that Yadav, who had played only one Test previously at Lord’s in 2018 (0/44 in 9 overs), could deliver. So, what are the odds of the left-arm wrist spinner figuring in the team sheet at Old Trafford and The Oval. Yadav made his debut eight years ago against England at Dharamsala. Since then, he has played only 13 Tests and taken 56 wickets. Last year he took 22 wickets at 23.09 in 5 Tests, his best in six calendar years when he was given a chance. His important numbers overseas are 4 in an innings at Pallekele, 5 at Sydney, and 5 at Chittagong. Former India captain Sourav Ganguly said that he would have played Yadav and that the team should find a way to pick him in the playing XI. Wrist spinners have taken 215 wickets at 34.36 @ Old Trafford and 297 at 39.19 @The Oval. Wrist spinners’ record is 370 wickets at 33.32 @ Lord’s, 184 at 35.48 @ Leeds and 91 at 39.13 @ Edgbaston. Warne, the right-hand leg spinner took 129 wickets in 22 Tests at 21.95 in England and turned out to be a match winner for Australia. Whereas left-arm wrist spinners South Africa’s Paul Adams and Australia’s Fleetwood-Smith took 17 and 14 wickets respectively. With Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar certainties for Old Trafford, will Gill retain Akash Deep or get Yadav in? That’s the big question mark.
KL Rahul, a true blue of Test match cricket, became the second Indian after Dilip Vengsarkar to make the crowd at the fabled Lords cricket ground in London applaud a three-figure knock a second time; Vengsarkar earned the sobriquet “Lord of the Lord’s” for his three centuries at the celebrated venue in the capital city of England. On the third day of the third Test between England and India, the stoical, but stylish opener scored an exact 100 and he must have felt emotions running high. Lord’s is without a doubt the Mecca of cricket. The famous cricket correspondent of the ‘Yorkshire Post’ James Maurice Kilburn referring to the Lord’s, wrote in ‘Overthrows’: I always feel as though I am stepping into history. Top batters regret not getting the magical number at Lord’s, but 10 Indian batsmen have made together 13 centuries at the Marylebone Cricket Club which is the home ground for the Middlesex County. The first Indian to carve a century at Lords was the great all-rounder, Mulvantrai Himmatlal ‘Vinoo’ Mankad in a Test match known as “Mankad’s Test” because he scored 72 and 184 and took 5 for 196 in the first innings of the 1952 series. After Mankad’s stupendous effort with the bat and ball, Gundappa Viswanath, Vengsarkar, Ravi Shastri, Mohammed Azharuddin, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid,Ajit Agarkar, Ajinkya Rahane and Rahul have sparkled at the Lord’s. The Honours Board at the venue was embellished with names — 173 batsmen with a total of 252 centuries in all. England’s Joe Root made the count 253 and Rahul 254. Rahul had lorded over Lord’s in August 2021 making 129!
For well over half a century, Sunil Manohar Gavaskar (SMG) has fascinated the game’s followers — as a legendary opening batsman, the first in the history of the game to go past the 10000-run aggregate and Don Bradman’s 29 Test centuries, World Cup winner at Lord’s in 1983, captain of the World Championship of Cricket in Australia, media personality, administrator at the BCCI and ICC, Charity and what not! His 1979 teammate in England, Yajurvindra Singh, also with a nickname “Sunny” waxed eloquent about the Indian batting legend on his 76th birthday celebrations by the Legends Club (LC) at the Cricket Club of India (CCI). The President of the LC, Yajurvindra said that SMG was 20 steps ahead of most and that he was systematic in all walks of life, even the way he used the toothpaste! Thanks to the wholehearted support by CCI that chose Madhumati Lele Shrivastava as President for a second term and the Club’s Executive Committee, the activities of the LC were revived after the pandemic-forced break. The LC celebrates the birthdays of Vijay Merchant, Vinod Mankad, Vijay Hazare, Nandu Natekar, SMG, Kapil Dev and Sachin Tendulkar. And so, on SMG’s birthday celebrations, Yajurvindra recalled his conversations with the batting great and some bizarre events, including that of the steward at the Lord’s Cricket Ground preventing the India opener from entering the venue during a Test match. For around 20 years the members of the LC have been listening to the SMG stories and in the most recent meeting at the CK Nayudu Hall, there was only pin drop silence with the aficionados lapping up everything that Yajurvindra spoke about.
Mohammed Siraj is an aggressive fast medium bowler and an ambitious cricketer. He thrives on needle contests, and on occasions gives an impression that he doesn’t want to play second fiddle to anyone. In recent times, India’s new ball operators have been the compelling Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami, but many a time, Siraj has got the opportunity to share the SG Test, Kookaburra or the Dukes ball with Bumrah. In the ongoing second Test against England at Edgbaston, Birmingham though, and in the absence of Bumrah, he was the spearhead. He gave a rip-roaring performance taking 6 for 70 in 19.3 overs. It was the 43rd instance of an Indian seamer taking 6 wickets and more, and 27th overseas. On the third day morning he had dispatched Joe Root who nicked an on-side deflection to the keeper and then surprised Ben Stokes with a lifter. And taking the second new ball after 80 overs and after a leather-hunt by Jamie Smith (184 not out) and Harry Brooks (158), Siraj mopped up the tail to hasten England’s first innings to an end. Siraj’s best effort though is a 6 for 15 in the first innings of the second Test against South Africa at Cape Town in the first week of January 2024 and won the Test for India. With 102 wickets before the start of the series in Old Blighty, Siraj who has missed 10 Tests after his debut — he knew that he will have to bear the burden with Bumrah to miss two Tests — rose to the occasion to give his team a sizable first innings lead. Whatever may be the outcome of the Edgbaston, Siraj showed the inclination to bend his back!
After the first Test reverse in Headingley, Leeds, the Indian think tank would have mulled over a lot about the ways to take 20 wickets in order to level the series quickly in the second Test in Edgbaston, Birmingham. It’s not going to be easy at all with Jasprit Bumrah not having taken the call to take the field or not. India’s seasoned campaigner Mohammed Siraj is likely to lead the attack and the support staff led by Head Coach Gautam Gambhir would like the sprightly Hyderabadi to up his display with the ball by a few notches and take wickets. Prasidh Krishna conceded over 200 runs at Leeds and that’s hell of a lot. Allrounder Shardul Thakur was of no use and his place is likely to be taken by the left arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav. It’s not known if the team management will gamble picking left arm seamer Arshdeep Singh, who has the ability to swing the ball, but he doesn’t have to speed to unnerve the batters. It’s a five Test series, and India has to bounce back before the third Test at Lord’s which inspires cricketers the world over. A bowling combination in Bumrah (5 scalps in the first innings of the first Test), Siraj, Krishna, Thakur and left hand spinner Ravindra Jadeja did not click and took only 15 English wickets and lost the Test in the land of Freddie Trueman and Geoffrey Boycott, but a slight tweak in the bowling set and with a bit of luck, Gill’s team would be hoping to turn the tide.
England has picked fast bowler Jofra Archer for the second Test against India at Edgbaston from July 2. The home team has not wasted time to sort of going for the jugular after its seam attack in Chris Woakes, Joshua Tongue, and Brydon Carse were taken apart for five centuries by Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant in the first Test at Headingley. It is not rocket science to decipher England’s quick decision after taking a 1-0 lead; the home team’s coach in Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes have seen India collapse twice, nee cave in, after a big partnership and are keen to quick-fix the issue of conceding runs to its rival’s top and middle order pile up runs. England missed express fast bowlers Archer and Mark Wood in the opening Test and have recalled the former who has not played Test cricket for four years and four months; in fact he played his first, first class match in four years for Sussex against Durham last week after a long period of recovery to mend his bowling hand elbow and back. Archer has taken 30 wickets at almost 27 apiece at home, but he has not played a Test at Edgbaston where England has a 7-0 record against India with one Test drawn. Former England captain Michael Atherton feels Archer need not be rushed in for the second Test and can wait till the third Test at Lord’s. But England’s team management doesn’t want to give a respite to India and wants to dominate the series and one way of doing so it feels is to unleash Archer at the Indian top order.
Shubman Gill has settled the No 4 position for himself in the New India batting order in Test cricket. The moment he was named the captain of the Test team for the five Test series in England, the grapevine was rife with pros and cons of his batting at No 4 with the MRF sticker bat. Just like his predecessors Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli who batted at No 4 and the lithe right-hander from Punjab confirmed it after the fall of debutant Sai Sudharsan at the stroke of lunch on the first day of the Headingley Test. Gill batted with a lot of assurance and compiled an elegant 227-ball 147 with 19 hits to the pickets and one six on the onside. For 12 minutes short of six hours, Gill looked the master playing behind and beside the line against the England fast bowlers. It was Gill’s first time undertaking at No 4 and he and those who helped him take that call would be more than satisfied with his effort. Gill may have thrown away a chance to convert his knock into a double and much more had he not taken the chance against the off break bowler Shoaib Bashir and offered a high catch to Joshua Tongue in the deep. When the going was good, Gill could have really cashed it on, but his departure (430/4) triggered an India collapse to 471. The pitch aided the home team seamers who were also able to swing the ball, and Gill stood up to the task after Yashasvi Jaiswal scored a lovely hundred opening the innings after being put into bat. A great knock from Gill, but a rush of blood heave spelt his doom.
Time to keep fingers crossed as an Indian team, trying to juggle with a number of questions in batting and bowling, will get down to the serious business of the first day of the first Test at Headingley, Leeds on Friday. India’s new captain Shubman Gill (three Tests in England) will have a brush with the maverick Ben Stokes who has led England in 33 Tests and won 20 for a 60.61 % win- record and with an 18- led-13-win record at home for a 72.22 positive percentage. Anyway one looks at it, the odds are stacked against India and Gill. But the charm of multi-day Test run-ins is all about outsmarting the rival team with the bat and ball for near about 450 overs if a contest lasts almost five full days and India has the opportunity to play (out of its skin) to baulk the home team which is a touch short without express fast bowlers Mark Wood and Jofra Archer. England will still have a pace bowling apparatus to trouble the inexperienced (in English conditions) top and middle order in Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudharsan, Karun Nair (recalled after many years), Dhruv Jurel and Gill. Fortunes could fluctuate in a matter of a few overs, and the likes of Jaiswal & Co have their task cut out. On the bowling front, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj have the experience, but on a day when a team has to bowl 90 overs, the Indian team could be hard-pressed. In these circumstances Gill, while batting and Bumrah, while bowling hold the key for India to take control of events.
Cricket fans always look for an English summer to keep them excited for a period around five months. This season, a major event of the English Summer was the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final that South Africa won, bringing down the mighty Australians at the home of cricket, the Lord’s cricket ground. Kudos to skipper Temba Bavuma, Kagiso Rabada and Alden Markram the rainbow nation staged a second innings comeback to trounce the Aussies. While the WTC final riveted attention on both teams, another burning topic the cricket fraternity in India is glued onto is the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) decision — after consulting the BCCI — to retire the Pataudi Trophy and rename the England-India Test series after Jimmy Anderson and Sachin Tendulkar, both the nation’s outstanding cricketers who dominated the scene for over two decades. The unveiling of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy has been put off because of the Ahmedabad air crash victims. The trophy will be unveiled a few days before the first day of the first Test at Headingley, Leeds on June 20. A cross section of the cricketing fraternity in India is unhappy with the change, but the argument is that the present generation has seen and taken a thrill at the fantastic displays with the bat and ball by Tendulkar and Anderson and the ECB decision was most appropriate in keeping with the times. Perhaps advised by a few legends of Indian cricket the BCCI, without interfering with the ECB call, has asked if it can name one of the individual awards and continue the legacy of Pataudi-Iftikhar Ali Khan and Mansur Ali Khan, both well known in English and Indian cricket.
Sunil Gavaskar has hit the nail on its head saying that performances in the BCCI’s Syed Mushtaq Ali Twenty20 tournament should count a lot for the IPL franchises’ talent scouts to look at than the Twenty20 Leagues run by the States. The former India batting maestro and commentator for around four decades shared his thoughts in a Sunday Column for Midday on the basis of some players’ performances in the Tata-IPl-18. His visit to the Wankhede Stadium during the T20 Mumbai League (TML) enthused the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) officials, but the Champion association of domestic cricket may do well to energise its multi-day tournament structure. Revived after a long gap of six years, the rain-marred TML may have served its purpose to the extent of keeping the local talent busy and happy too because of the financial compensation they received, but what good hope is there for a 38-year-old replacement medium pacer Rohan Raje who became the first to pinch a 5-ver in the league! The big haul cheered him up; he spoke happily at the press conference sitting by the side of his captain Siddhesh Lad of the Mumbai South Central Maratha Royals that would vie for the title with the Shreyas Iyer led SoBo Mumbai Falcons. The TML lost Mumbai and CSK’s new kid on the block Ayush Mhatre because, as batter and captain, he has to focus on the India under-19 tour to England. Mhatre was a talent that flourished in the Ranji Trophy and so the MCA could mull over a meaningful multi-day league to run parallel with the Ranji Trophy tournament of which it’s the winner 42 times. As an idea, the TML is good, but an MCA multi-day professional league is the need of the hour.
Gautam Gambhir was point blank saying that he was always against road shows to celebrate victories in sporting contests. The head coach of the Indian cricket team and an illustrious former cricketer, Gambhir did not mince words when he was asked to respond to the terrible tragedy in Bengaluru where 11 people died in a stampede around the M Chinnaswamy Stadium within 15 hours of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) winning its maiden IPL title in Ahmedabad. Gambhir who has led and mentored Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to IPL title wins had some strong words to express his anguish. He said he was against road shows and that the sad happenings in Bengaluru should be an eye-opener for all franchises. Gambhir and Shubman Gill were at the Cricket Centre, Mumbai for an interaction with the media before the Indian team’s departure to London for the five-Test series starting on June 20 at Headingley, Leeds. Gill and Gambhir were asked pointed questions on the challenges that’s likely to come up in England post the retirement of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma and the potential absence of fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah from one or two Tests in order to look after his workload. While his answers were predictable about the cricket part, Gambhir sent a message across to all the stakeholders and the franchises in particular that there has to be a strict ‘No, No’ for road shows and that human life is more important than anything else. RCB — like MI, CSK and KKR — has a humongous fan following and one and all is sad and gutted with what took place in the Garden City, the day after a memorable first IPL victory.
The Tata-IPL-18 is nearing its conclusion with the title match to be played between the United Spirits-owned Royal Challengers Bengaluru that paid $ 111.6 mn to acquire the Bengaluru franchise in 2007 and the winner of the Qualifier 2 between five times winner, the Ambani-owned Mumbai Indians and Punjab Kings owned by Mohit Burman, Ness Wadia, Preity Zinta and Karan Paul. One among the three will be crowned on Wednesday (June 3) at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad. But the story of this year’s IPL is the rise of a few fantastic batters, bowlers and all rounders which confirms a belief that India can field two Men in Blue teams in the Twenty20 format at least. The tournament began with known culprits set to dominate, but the cricketing fraternity is already talking about budding stars like the Rajasthan Royal’s 14-year old left-hander Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Punjab Kings’ batters Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh, Shashank Singh and Nehal Wadhera, and left-arm spinner Harpreet Brar, Chennai Super Kings’ batter Ayush Mhatre and fast bowler Anshul Kamboj, Sunrisers Hyderabad batter Aniket Verma, Delhi Capitals’ allrounder Vipraj Nigam and wicketkeeper-batter Abhishek Porel, RCB leg spinner Suyash Sharma and seamer Yash Dayal, Gujarat Titans’ left arm spinner Sai Kishore, Mumbai Indians’ lower order batter Naman Dhir are the new faces who have excelled in their roles. The ongoing season has thrown fresh talents and the national selection committee will have plenty to look at the basket when the time comes to pick the squad for next year’s Twenty20 World Cup to be held in India and Sri Lanka. The IPL has truly turned out to be a talent feeder for the national team.
Did Sarfaraz Khan and Shreyas Iyer get a raw deal for the five-Test series in England? Both have been given the short shrift. The set-up of Head Coach Gautam Gambhir and skipper Shubman Gill and the Selectors have sent across a message that in the present circumstances, both do not fit into the scheme of things for a challenging seven weeks tour of England. The gifted Sarfaraz scored 150 in the Bengaluru Test against New Zealand last year after his team was skittled out for 46 in the first innings. He has scores of 62, 68 not out and 56 against England at home for a tally of 371 runs in six Tests. On the turning tracks at Pune and Mumbai, he, like the full Indian batting line up, came a cropper against the Kiwi spinners. He was made to cool his heels in the five-Test series in Australia. Iyer began his Test career with 105 against New Zealand and he has played 14 Tests, his last two being against England in Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam in January-February 2024. Iyer has had serious issues with the BCCI, as a consequence of which he was taken off the central contract. Times have changed and he has returned to the big stage and given the central contract. He played a big part in India’s Champions Trophy win. But the selectors have gone back to Karun Nair who played his last Test in March 2017. Nair, now 33, had scored an unbeaten 303 against England in Chennai in December 2016. Khan has been unlucky, and Iyer has “no room” in the team according to Ajit Agarkar, the selection committee chair.
Shubman Gill will have to endure the baptism by fire ordeal on his first stint as captain of the Indian team during the five-Test series in England. The first Test starts at Headingley (Leeds) from June 20, and this will be followed by severe examinations at Birmingham (Edgbaston), Lord’s (London), Old Trafford (Manchester) and The Oval (London), the series ending in the first week of August. The selection committee with Ajit Agarkar in Chair has placed faith on the 25-year-old Punjabi — with 32 Tests and 1893 runs under his belt — to deliver the goods in a country where weather conditions change by the day, and even the hour, and the local brand of Dukes ball triggers confusion in the batsmen from the Asian region. Gill has been earmarked as captain for the 2025-2027 ICC World Test Championship cycle, and points accrued from the England tour will throw first hints as to whether India will have a chance to finish among the two to play the final in June 2027. Gill’s first aim will be to get runs, which will boost his confidence as he learns the captaincy trade in the tough English summer. In the absence of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma he will be expected to lead by example and show the way. The elegant right-hander has so far scored 874 as an opener at 32.37 and 1019 at No 3 at 37.73 in 32 Tests. In England, he is likely to bat at No 3. Gill follows 18 previous India captains (in England) who have led in 69 Tests and won 9 and so Gill has his task cut out!
Last week Neeraj Chopra threw the javelin past the 90m mark – 90.33 metre in Doha – for the first time in his already spectacular career and got the monkey off his back. The 27-year old 6 footer from Haryana, Chopra will be better placed now onwards to achieve more such 90 metre plus results. A niggle had seen him come up short at the Paris Olympics last year; the muscular Pakistani Arshad Nadeem killed the field in Paris for the gold medal with a supreme effort of 92.97 metres. Chopra ‘s 89.45m won him the silver. But 10 months afterwards, Chopra accomplished the 90m + feat at the Doha Diamond League. Chopra is now working with Jan Zelezny – the Czech Republic legend who threw the equipment to 90m plus distances 33 times from 1992 to 2001 with a world record best of 98.48m in 1996. Chopra has won gold medals at the Olympics, World Championships, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and the Asian Championships. His best before the Doha 90m + was the 89.94m at Stockholm, Sweden in 2022. It was 13 years ago that he showed promise with a 68.46m in the national junior Championships in Lucknow. Two years later he entered the 70+ mark. He breached the 80 + mark (82.23) for the first time at the 2016 South Asian Games in Guwahati. His 86.48 metre at the IAAF World U20 projected him as a champion thrower of the javelin. Chopra has taken part in 72 events since 2012, has won 39 and finished among the top three in 57 events. The 90+ metre mark has been breached 125 times. Chopra’s Doha feat of May 16, 2025 is the 23rd all-time best.
In 90 plus years — from June 1932 — India has won only 13.43% of the 67 Test matches in England. This stark fact exemplifies India’s woes in seaming conditions in England — 36 lost and nine won. In all 17 Indian players have captained in England and Ajit Wadekar was the first one to win a series there in 1971. Mahendra Singh Dhoni has led nine times and lost seven, Virat Kohli nine times, won three and lost five. Rohit Sharma has never led India in England. And Kapil Dev led India to a 2-0 win in 1986. In exactly a month from now, India will start a five-Test series in England, with the first one at Leeds where the record is 4 for England and 2 for India. In August 2021 England won by an innings and 76 runs. Whoever may be the captain, India will find many challenging situations, especially with the weather and the Dukes ball. It’s speculated that the selection committee — with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli retiring from Test cricket — is all set to name Shubman Gill the captain and that’s because Jasprit Bumrah’s fitness for the full series is in doubt. Gill has played three Tests in England — two in the WTC final against New Zealand and Australia and one against England and he has scored 88 runs off 158 balls. Gill’s average is 10.50 in England, 18 in New Zealand,18.50 in South Africa and 22.50 in the West Indies. He averaged 51.80 in Australia four years ago, but it whittled down to 18.60 in the 2024-25 series. Hence, Gill will look for a good English Summer, for him and the team.
Indian cricket will be hard-pressed to find replacements for the retired-from-Test-cricket stalwarts, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Both began their careers when first class cricket (three-day cricket to five-day Tests) had primacy in the ecosystem. Kohli and Sharma were raised in the tough world of Ranji Trophy, Duleep Trophy and Irani Cup. There were other tournaments like the Vijay Hazare, Syed Mushtaq Ali and Challenger tournaments, but there is no denying the fact that the Ranji Trophy shaped their international careers that they made distinguished by keeping the cricket fan in mind and entertaining them, integrating all with their overall competitive streak. For 18 seasons they have plied their trade in the trailblazing Indian Premier League and have become legends amassing runs in the Twenty20 razzmatazz. Kohli was a product of Delhi’s hot-weather and other limited over tournaments. For Sharma Mumbai’s excellent club level cricket worked for him. After the exit of the “Fab-4” in Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman, Indian cricket advertised itself on the fantastic accomplishments of its batters and captains in MS Dhoni, Kohli and Sharma. There has been some fine achievements by the bowlers too. For the cricket fans etched in their memory would by the deeds they achieved in white ball competitions (50 overs and Twenty20) at Kingsmead, Wankhede, Bridgetown and Dubai, but ultimately in Test cricket. India has been lucky to unearth talent out of its domestic system and build a brand to appeal to budding talents, and to the corporate and media world; the likes of Kohli and Sharma made India a “Super Brand” and have fascinated the purists and others alike.
With India’s armed forces engaged in the battle front against Pakistan, no way the Tata-IPL-18 could have continued, and the BCCI has rightly stopped all action (entertainment) for a week. It’s a matter of conjecture, even though a ceasefire has been called, as to when play will resume to complete season-18. Until the call was taken to bring the league to a halt, the interest and focus — apart from the performances of the 10 teams — was on the homegrown talents leading the teams like Axar Patel, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Rajat Patidar, Shubman Gill, Rituraj Gaikwad (replaced by MS Dhoni), Sanju Samson (replaced by Riyan Parag) and Ajinkya Rahane. It was great to see so many Indians trying to show their leadership qualities, but only two or three could be said to be in contention for the leadership role for the five-Test series in England, even after Rohit Sharma called it “quits” from Test cricket. The notable absentee from this group was Jasprit Bumrah who was not a starter for Mumbai Indians this IPL, but he breathed fire soon after joining the MI ranks. Gill, Iyer and Patidar earned some brownie points and the Gujarat Titans captain Gill will get a role in England. But can the selectors ignore the claim of Bumrah who stunned one and all with his captaincy in Australia, in the first Test in Perth that India won with consummate ease. With the experience of playing nine Tests in England and bowling 357 overs there, Bumrah ought to be the captain for the tour of England. Gill can only be Bumrah’s sidekick. The selection committee has plenty to mull over.
Rohit Sharma deserves kudos for calling time on his Test career that has been far from spectacular, but nonetheless personally satisfying because he got to play so many Tests and led the country as well. He may have taken the call of his own volition, or may have been nudged by someone in the authority. But his expression upon his driving uppishly to mid-off in the MI v GT match at the Wankhede Stadium told its own dismal story. The fact of the matter is Sharma did not have a good run with the bat against Bangladesh, New Zealand and Australia (in all 8 Tests) and he even went to the extent of sitting out in the fifth and final Test in Sydney. The selection committee could not have turned a blind eye to the numbers delivered by Sharma — such a “Bindhas batter” — in the three preceding series. With an average of 10.50 against Bangladesh, 15.17 against New Zealand and 6.20 against Australia the selection committee would have been embarrassed to pick him for the five-Test series in England that would have demanded 25 days of challenging cricket. With a 50% success rate in Tests, Sharma could have continued but the last seven months showed him in poor light in the long form of the game. It’s never easy to quit, but Sharma has done it and he has to be told “Shabhash”. Sharma’s record in England Is good with 10 Tests, 402 runs for an average of 44.67 with his last inning at The Oval getting him a first and only century –127. He scored some runs against England when he was 27 and 34 years old. Now, running 38, it would have been tough on him, and so it was a right call for himself and Indian cricket.
TRENDS & VIEWS
Editor’s Note: Short Post Noticed By People Who Matter
Four years have zipped by and we are crossing another milestone on 31st January 2025 – it’s our 4th Anniversary. It feels good.
Looking back at the 1460 days, I must say Short Post has made its mark with people who matter via 4000 stories published in the areas of politics, business, entertainment and sports. All made possible by the unflinching commitment and dedication of our senior editors, most of whom have been part of this journey from Day One.
Small pack, big impact is in essence the story of Short Post which was launched at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2021. It shows our conviction. In all humility, I can say, we have created a new niche in the news segment space like Hindustan Unilever which created a new segment, when it launched CloseUp Gel.
Yes, we have created a brand (in a limited sense), created demand (readers) and created supply (senior journalists). But we are facing teething problems like all start-ups. What makes us happy and confident is the recognition of our efforts. For instance, we have an arrangement with the OPEN Magazine, part of the $4.5 billion Kolkata-based Sanjiv Goenka-RPG Group. This arrangement sees around 10 Short Post stories posted on OPEN Magazine website every week. This arrangement is testimony that our content has been well received! Also, I may add that the Maharashtra government has recognised Short Post and has allowed our senior editor to cover the Assembly sessions. Ditto: Odisha.
Our goal is to ensure that Short Post becomes a habit. I would like people to keep checking their smartphones to know the latest Authentic Gossip. As regards AI and the fear of it disrupting all businesses including media. On that, personally, I have no such fear as I am confident AI cannot smell news particularly Authentic Gossip. That’s the place we are well entrenched.