CPL 2021 | SLK vs SNKP: Du Plessis returns to form as Kings hand Patriots their first defeat

ENG vs IND | 4th Test, Day 3: Robinson sparkles but Rohit - Pujara show make it India's day

Indian batting lineup that has faced a lot of scrutiny and criticism for lack of runs so far in the series turned up with all its might on the third day of the Oval Test against England and helped the tourists in getting a lead of 171 runs. The pair of Cheteshwar Pujara and Rohit Sharma brought up a mammoth partnership to put the hosts on backfoot and although Ollie Robinson sparkled magic to remove both of them in one over, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja limited the damage. They were behind in the game by 99 runs at the start of the second innings and while KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma had trimmed it down to 52 runs by the end of the second day, the job was not accomplished. The openers have been India’s best batsmen on this tour and hence the onus was on them to get them over the line in terms of crossing the deficit. Rahul went with deficit well within the reach and Pujara took it upon himself to provide India impetus while Rohit was preparing for a long grind at the crease. Rohit’s dream ton, typical dismissal Rohit has shown remarkable composure and restraint for a stroke maker in this series, however, a big and defining score always eluded him. His 83 at Lord’s set the tone for India’s strong start but James Anderson’s unplayable delivery found him out. There was no such delivery on the third day of the Oval Test and the surface played true for the most part of the day. He waited for his opportunity to score runs instead of searching them desperately and as soon as he was offered those, there were no doubts in his mind on what to do. Crisp drive off Anderson and fluent punches of Moeen Ali and Overton kept him going in the afternoon session that India dominated with ease. The eagerness of getting his first hundred in overseas Tests was not visible in his methods as he went beyond his previous best score with ease. Moeen Ali flighted the ball to tempt him into a big shot with long-on stationed for a miscue but he could only see the ball sailing over the fence for a big six that carried the right-hander to his first ton on foreign soil. He was fluent and a bit more imposing on the bowling after getting past the 100 while England skipper Joe Root bowled himself and Moeen with the second new ball in sight. India would have hoped they would continue to bat with class against the new ball but in an anticlimatic development, Rohit half-heartedly pulled a gentle loosener from Robinson on the very first ball and a magnificent innings that could well have been marathon innings to bat England out of the game was cut short. Pujara’s second innings heroics The series has been a weird one for Pujara as a new faultline around off stump has been ripped open by Anderson but at the same time, all of those failures have come in the first innings of all the Tests. He has looked all at sea in the first innings of at least the last three Tests while his impeccable presence in the second innings has emboldened India. After succumbing to Anderson’s outswingers at Lord’s and Headingley, it was his resistance that laid down the platform for India’s win and then a chance of creating upset in the last Tests. The script did not go too differently at the Oval as his first innings frailties were nowhere to be found and the gifts he received from pacers, especially Overton resembled his second innings at Headingley. He was severe against short deliveries outside off stump and certainly batted with more freedom. He was willing to drive the ball down the ground and through cover early on in the innings albeit not on the up while the short deliveries around off stump were cut fiercely or glided masterfully over the slips for four. He was done in by Robinson’s delivery that jagged back sharply and bounced off good length area but his momentum at the crease made life easier for Rohit and provided India perfect tempo in building lead throughout the afternoon and last session. Looking forward to the fourth day India are leading by 171 runs with Kohli and Jadeja unbeaten at the crease and they would be looking forward to batting a bit freely with no sight on what they want to set England to chase. There are enough overs left in the game to enforce a result and Kohli and his teammates should be in no hurry early on the fourth day that could bring England in the game. They have Ajinkya Rahane and Rishabh Pant sitting in the dressing room and would be hoping for at least one more good batting performance from one of those four batsmen to bat England out of the game. England would feel the pressure if they won’t strike early in the morning session while at the same time a couple of wickets will drag the game back to equilibrium. If India will manage to bat one session without losing too many wickets, England would be in for a tough chase in the fourth innings while a collapse like on the fourth day of the Headingley Test would put India on the backfoot.

ENG vs IND | Rohit Sharma hits first overseas Test ton at Oval

Finally, after a lot of wasted starts in the series against England and earlier in Australia, Rohit Sharma scored his first century in an overseas Test. he smashed Moeen Ali over long-on in the afternoon session of the third day to reach the marquee landmark. He has been the best Indian batsman so far in the series against England and it was only fitting that his century is setting up the game for the tourists. He smashed 12 fours and one six to reach the three-figure mark. India were trailing behind by 99 runs and he led the riposte with the opening partnership with Rahul and then carried on with a 100-run partnership with Cheteshwar Pujara to take India’s lead closer to 100. He had scored 83 in the second Test at Lord’s but was undone by James Anderson’s jaffa and the right-hander was more than eager to get the monkey of not having an away ton off his back. He has amassed more than 300 runs across the four Tests of the series so far and with Rahul has formed a nearly impermeable wall for the England bowlers. Earlier in the day, he also went past the 3000-run mark in Tests on the back of eight hundred and 14 half-centuries.

Puducherry rope in Shaun Tait as bowling coach

The Cricket Association of Pondicherry has roped in former Australia fast bowler Shaun Tait as the bowling coach of the team. Tait will be joining the coaching staff that comprises head coach Dishant Yagnik and manager and strength and conditioning coach Kalpendra Jha. “Tait has expressed his willingness to join the Puducherry team later this month. However, if he gets a call from Afghanistan he may join them and stay with the team before rejoining Puducherry for his duties,” the CAP sources said. The right-arm bowler has featured in three Tests, 35 ODIs and 21 T20Is at the highest level. In the three Tests that Tait played, he picked up five wickets while had 62 scalps to his name in the ODIs and 28 in T20Is respectively and has also played for Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League 2021. Puducherry team will be led by D Rohit in the upcoming domestic season where the side play in the Elite category in the Ranji Trophy, Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy tournaments. Earlier, the BCCI announced that the domestic season 2021-22 will begin on September 21, 2021, with Women’s Under-19 One-Day and Vinoo Mankad Trophy (Men’s Under-19) from September 20 to October 19. The Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy will commence on October 27 while the Ranji Trophy begins January 5.

3rd T20I Preview: Bangladesh eye another series win, NZ in pursuit of resurgence

New Zealand certainly got something to cheer about when they finally got some runs under their belt on this tour of Bangladesh in the second T20I in Dhaka. Though, this wasn’t really enough to help them equalise the five-match bilateral tie. The visitors missed out on what could have been a satisfactory win by just 4 runs in this second clash. Batting first, Bangladesh were off to a steady start after the openers Naim and Liton Das who had failed in the first game got back among runs and stitched a stand of 59 runs for the first wicket. The New Zealand bowlers though got themselves back into the hunt and picked up some wickets at regular intervals to reduce the side to 109/5. But Mahmudullah and Nurul Hasan made sure that the hosts reached a defendable total. Bangladesh eventually managed to put 141/6 in the allotted 20 overs. On some other day and on a different track, this target would have been an easy task but not on this pitch and especially the way the Kiwis had fared with the bat in the last clash. In fact, they didn’t really have a great start to the proceedings in the second match as well after once again spinners did the trick for them and scalped some early wickets during the course. While Latham held the fort from one end, he didn’t really find much support from the other and the Blackcaps lost the second match of the series on the trot. But the visitors did have some positives to take away from their last outing and that was not surrendering on a strip that didn’t really have anything on offer for the batting unit. Match Details Match: BAN vs NZ, 3rd T20I, New Zealand tour of Bangladesh, 2021 Date: Sunday, September 05, 2021 Time: 3:30 PM Venue: Shere Bangla National Stadium, Dhaka Telecast: FanCode App Pitch Report The pitch in Dhaka is expected to have something on offer for the bowlers, especially spinners. This was evident in the first game while the spinners did dominate in the second as well. So, if you win the toss, elect to bat. Team News Bangladesh: The Bangladesh openers who failed to leave a mark in the first match gave a solid start to the team in the second. The spinners have been in good form for the hosts while Mustafizur Rahman went for some runs in the second match but is still an integral part of this setup. The left-arm bowler’s ability to bowl slow, back of the hand deliveries have become a highlight in the recent past and he has been getting wickets as well. New Zealand: Finn Allen and Matt Henry will be available for selection in this match. Henry had come into the side as Allen’s replacement initially. Allen had tested positive for Covid-19 upon his arrival in Dhaka earlier which subsequently forced the management to call Henry. But the right-handed batsman later returned two negative tests. The visitors are likely to tweak the final XI for this game. Probable XI Bangladesh: Mohammad Naim, Liton Das, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah (capt), Nurul Hasan (wk), Afif Hossain, Mahedi Hasan, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mustafizur Rahman, Nasum Ahmed New Zealand: Rachin Ravindra, Finn Allen, Tom Latham (capt & wk), Colin de Grandhomme, Will Young, Henry Nicholls, Cole McConchie, Doug Bracewell, Ajaz Patel, Hamish Bennett, Matt Henry Fantasy XI Nurul-Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Tom Latham, Liton Das, Will Young, Mahedi Hasan, Shakib Al Hasan (C), Rachin Ravindra (VC), Cole McConchi, Mustafizur Rahman, Ajaz Patel