Lack of red-ball cricket no problem for captain Tim Paine ahead of the Ashes

Test cricket is won by bowlers: Jhulan Goswami excited to play longest format after six years

Two Indian Women’s team cricketers who made their debuts together against England Women in Test cricket way back in 2002, will be having a go at the longest format once again when they play the one-off Tests against the same opponent in Bristol next month. Jhulan Goswami was one of the team, while the other was current Indian Eves’ skipper Mithali Raj. Fast bowler Jhulean is excited to be finally playing Test after the wait of six long years. “Getting to play a Test after such a long time has got me excited and nervous. There are lots of questions going through my mind now and I am sure of the other team members too,” Jhulan was quoted as saying to Hindustan Times. Questions such as adaptability to situation and conditions of the pitch, concentration for 90 overs and remaining focussed and patient at the same time are the ones that Jhulan pointed out as challenges. But the 38-year-old believes that Tests are always won by bowlers and Indian bowlers would have to pull up their socks to the challenge ahead. "There will be sessions when we won’t get a wicket and there will be sessions when all we get is a chance and we have to take it. So, mentally we have to be very strong and physically too because how else will you last a day and over the course of a game take 20 wickets? Tests are won by bowlers. Always,” she said. "White-ball cricket has got them all to play those deliveries outside off-stump. It is one of the habits that will need to be controlled. So, it is a challenge for all of us," added Goswami who is the leading wicket-taker in the world in ODI cricket with 233 scalps from 186 matches. India Women have overall played 36 Tests till now, winning five and losing four, while 27 matches resulted in a draw. In the last three Tests though, the Mithali Raj led side have won all which include two against England Women and one against Proteas Women. However, what perturbed is the fact that among the 36 Tests, India played 26 in the last century and have been able to play just 11 this century and that haunts Goswami. The right-arm seamer who has 40 Tests wickets in 10 games at 16.62 wickets apiece, believes that apart from Australia, no other team gives importance to Test cricket and thus there is actually no competitor against which India Women could play. “So every country, barring England and Australia who play Tests because of the Ashes, has prioritised them over Tests. It is not just about blaming BCCI for not arranging Tests for women, India also need to have opponents to play with," she said.

Rachin Ravindra ecstatic to share dressing room with Kane Williamson, skipper calls him 'valuable asset'

New Zealand newcomer Rachin Ravindra is ecstatic at the prospect of sharing the same dressing room with his batting idol Kane Williamson in the upcoming series against England. Ravindra, who has earned a maiden call up to the squad for the two-match Test series said the Blackcaps skipper Kane Williamson has been a ‘world-class’ player at the international level in the last decade. He also said that it would be an ‘incredible feeling’ for him to learn the craft 0f batsmanship from Williamson from such close quarters. “I talk about idols in the team and he is definitely one of them. He is a world-class batsman and has been for the last 10 years. So, every single opportunity I’ll have to mingle with him will be amazing. Learning from such world-class players….I don’t know. I can’t really turn it into words because he is such a special cricketer. Sharing a dressing room with him will be an incredible feeling,” Ravindra said in a video shared on Blackcaps Twitter timeline. Discussing the quality of the Kiwi skipper in detail, the Wellington youngster said that Williamson has personified ‘the good Kiwi man’ for his humbleness. He also said that the hunger for more and more runs every time he walks out to bat and the temperament to sore big runs make him a world-class player for the Blackcaps. “I think if you watch him, just hunger for runs. He just looks like wanting to score double-hundred every time he goes out to bat and I admire the incredible temperament to be able to do that for New Zealand in Test matches. The way he goes about it. He is such a humble bloke who personified the good Kiwi man,” added the left-handed batting all-rounder. Blackcaps captain also spoke very highly of Ravindra’s all-around abilities and called him a ‘valuable asset’ for the New Zealand Test side. He said that the 21-year-old crossed every step of the game in the domestic arena to earn an ‘exciting’ opportunity for himself on his maiden Test tour. “Really exciting young talent and yes, bat and ball left-arm orthodox bowling obviously is a valuable asset and come through the grades and played and missed for a few years now and obviously been involved in A cricket as well and done really really well. So, really exciting opportunity for him on his first Test tour,” Williamson said in another video posted by the Blackcaps on Twitter. “I am sure he will fit in really really well. He’s got some teammates here and a few of the youngest guys around and few old heads but so far it has been fun and I am sure he will be eager to get into training and out of quarantine.” New Zealand players arrived in various bunches in London before heading to Southampton where they are under quarantine now. The Test series will commence on June 02 at Lord’s in London.

England not keen to try debutants in Ashes, coach Silverwood urges new players to grab opportunity

In an expected move, England have rested star players returning from the IPL to hand opportunities to younger players for the series against New Zealand. Head coach Chris Silverwood confirmed that the decision was taken with an eye on the Ashes series scheduled for this year's end down under. Silverwood said that England are reluctant to face situations in Australia where they will have to bring in youngsters to debut and instead they have found a way to groom new players through ‘different experiences’ before the marquee rivalry begins. "It's one thing we've talked about, to try and get to the point where we're not debuting anybody in Australia. It's been a plan now for a while and we have given different people different experiences, debuted people, got more experience into people, so we're banking that all the way to the Ashes, really,” Silverwood said. England have given maiden call ups to Ollie Robinson and James Bracey for the Tests against the Blackcaps and the message from the Silverwood-led team management is simple: “Take your opportunity..” The Test series against New Zealand is scheduled to take off from June 02 at Lord’s.

Recovered from Covid-19, Michael Hussey looks back on time during IPL 2021

Michael Hussey was one of the few people who had tested positive for the Covid-19 infection and now, having recovered and returned to his homeland, the left-hander has opened up on his journey before and after contracting the virus in India. He had felt some symptoms related to Covid-19 and he also had a seating arrangement near the CSK bowling coach Lakshmipathy Balaji who was reported to have contracted the virus before him. Hence, he presumed that he too contracted the virus from Balaji. “To be honest, I had already started feeling some of the symptoms and so I was thinking, I’m pretty sure I’ve got it. Plus I was sitting next to the bowling coach on the bus a few times, so I thought, ‘If he’s got it then there’s a pretty good chance I’ve got it as well,” Hussey told Foxsports.com.au. The former Australia batsman further said that the first report suggested a weak infection and it led to him hoping for a negative result in the second round of testing. To his dismay though, the second test only confirmed the infection. “I wasn’t thinking about (getting home) too much to start with. I was focusing on just trying to get better again, really. My initial test came up as a weak positive, and we were sort of hoping the next would be negative and it’d be alright, but unfortunately, I got retested the next day and that came back positive,” he said. Explaining his thoughts just after confirmation of infection, Hussey said that he felt terrible initially but gathered his sense soon enough to not worry about anything such as breathing issues that Covid-19 brings with itself to get set on the recovery path. “I was a bit like, ‘Oh gosh, why me’, but I didn’t really think too much at all. I thought it was a bit of a shame. But I certainly wasn’t worried about my breathing or things like that,” he added. “It was just a bit annoying, really,” Hussey added. Elaborating where he or Balaji would have contracted the virus, the left-handed batsman said that contracting the virus from the ground was a certain possibility. He also said that the Mumbai leg of the tournament was relatively safe and secure and that they felt more vulnerable after leaving the bubble in Mumbai for the next round of matches scheduled for Delhi. “So there was a risk there. It (also) could have been at the ground; there was ground staff while we were there training and on game day. There was certainly more risk once we left that Mumbai bubble,” said the 45-year-old. The Western Australian did not join the Aussie contingent who travelled to the Maldives to spend time in isolation till Cricket Australia managed to find a way for them to enter the country. Hussey travelled on a commercial flight via Qatar to Australia but reached on the same day when his other countrymen hit home.