Puducherry rope in Shaun Tait as bowling coach

4th Test, Day 3 Highlights: India ahead but England not out of it yet

Leading India’s reply to the big lead of 99 runs, India were off to a brilliant start as the openers Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul stitched yet another 50-run partnership early on the third day of the Test. England started the day with James Anderson and Chris Woakes in tandem and the openers were watchful in the first few overs of the day. The duo has halved the deficit under 50 runs and India would be hoping that the duo will continue batting with discipline and periodic brilliant shots.

Delhi Capitals assistant coach Ratra seeks fresh start in second part of IPL 2021

Delhi Capitals were in some good form during the first half of the IPL 2021 before the tournament was suspended after there was a Covid-19 outburst within the franchises. DC assistant coach Ajay Ratra has now said that the side will need to start afresh after the break. "It's a different season altogether, generally it happens in full flow, and we had good momentum in the first half. Now that it's happening after a break, so we will have to start afresh, and that's why our franchise has organized this camp a little early," Ratra said in a Delhi Capitals release. Talking about the break and how much impact it would have, Ratra suggested that breaks do matter and make a difference but also added that a number of DC recruits are featuring in international fixtures which can help them to stay in the groove. "Even in Test cricket, sometimes it becomes difficult to find the rhythm after lunch breaks. So, breaks do make a difference,” he said. "However, as I said before, we still have time, and most of our core players are playing international cricket, so they might be already in a good rhythm,” Ratra added. The Delhi-based franchise were the table-toppers before the tournament was halted and would now resume the tournament against Sunrisers Hyderabad on September 22 in Dubai as the remaining half of the cash-rich league will be held in the UAE.

CPL 2021 Preview | GAW vs BR: Under pressure Guyana, depleted Barbados seek turnaround

Guyana Amazon Warriors will take on Barbados Royals in St Kitts on Sunday. Both the sides have suffered defeats in their last respective encounters and would be looking to get back on track. Royals though have had a pretty tough time in this competition so far after they lost four out of the five matches. Guyana on the other side, have won a couple of matches and suffered defeats in three out of the five games in which the side featured. The Royals would be under some pressure after the Patriots snatched a win from the jaws of defeat against them in a last-ball thriller. Chasing 163 in 20 overs, the Patriots were reduced to 98/6 but a late surge from Dominic Brakes and Sheldon Cottrell took the game away. Needing four off the last ball, Cottrell hammered one out of the park to etch a win while Barbados’ tough run in the tournament continued. While the batsmen put some runs on the board, the Barbados bowling attack failed to capitalise on the start they got and lost another encounter. Guyana were thumped by Saint Lucia Kings after they witnessed a huge batting failure to get bundled out for 98 while chasing a total of 150. The Kings managed to put a fighting total on the board, courtesy a 50-ball 85 from Roston Chase but what unleashed next was simply brilliant. The Saint Lucia bowlers thoroughly dominated the Guyana batting unit and never let the match get out of their control to eventually bowl them out. Match Details Match: Guyana Amazon Warriors vs Barbados Royals, CPL 2021 Date: September 5, 2021 (Sunday) Time: 12:00 AM (IST) TV: Star Sports Network Live Streaming: Fancode Pitch Report The track to be a balanced one. The batsmen would need to spend some time at the crease, get their eyes in and can then accelerate. Spinners can play a key role in the middle overs to keep the scoring rate down. If the captain who wins the toss can opt to bat first. Probable XI Guyana Amazon Warriors: Chandrapaul Hemraj, Mohammad Hafeez, Shimron Hetmyer, Nicholas Pooran (c & wk), Brandon King, Shoaib Malik, Odean Smith, Romario Shepherd, Naveen-ul-Haq, Imran Tahir, Gudakesh Motie Barbados Royals: Johnson Charles, Shai Hope (wk), Glenn Phillips, Jason Holder (c), Azam Khan, Smit Patel, Ashley Nurse, Raymon Reifer, Jake Lintott, Nyeem Young, Oshane Thomas Fantasy XI S. Patel, C. Hemraj, G. Phillips, J. Charles, J. Holder, M. Hafeez (C), R. Reifer, I. Tahir (VC), J. Lintott, N. Ul-Haq, R. Shepherd

SL vs SA | 2nd ODI Preview: Hosts look to take unassailable lead, Proteas look for redemption

Sri Lanka and South Africa will be up against each other in the second ODI of the three-match series. While the home side look to take an unassailable lead in the series after they clinched a 14-run win in the first ODI in Colombo, the Proteas on the other side would be seeking a revival. Riding on some piece of batting from Avishka Fernando, the hosts posted 300/9 in 50 overs and then defended the target to go 1-0 up in the series. Apart from Fernando, Dhananjaya de Silva and Asalanka also chipped in with some valuable runs. While De Silva scored 44, Asalanka notched up a half-century during the course. On the other side, Aiden Markram and captain Temba Bavuma also looked in some good touch before Bavuma was retired hurt. Markram though continued with his form and scored a well-compiled 96. Rassie van der Dussen who came in at number four was also among some runs as he too struck a half-century but their efforts went in vain as the visiting side fell short of the target eventually. To add to the misery, Bavuma has now been ruled out of the series. Keshav Maharaj will now lead the side. "The timelines for return to play will be defined subsequent to that," the CSA official release said about Bavuma’s return. The right-handed batsman has been sent back to South Africa. The batsman got injured while completing a run in the first ODI after he was hit on the hand from a throw. Match Details Sri Lanka vs South Africa, 2nd ODI Venue: R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo Date & Time: September 4th, at 2:30 PM IST and Local Time Live Streaming: Sony Sports Network Pitch Report The track did have something on offer for the batsmen in the previous game. It has some pace and bounce and seems to be a good batting wicket. So, if you win the toss, elect to bat first. Probable XI Sri Lanka: Avishka Fernando, Minod Bhanuka (wk), Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Dhananjaya de Silva, Charith Asalanka, Dasun Shanaka (c), Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne, Dushmantha Chameera, Akila Dananjaya, Praveen Jayawickrama South Africa: Janneman Malan, Aiden Markram, Reeza Hendricks, Rassie van der Dussen, Heinrich Klaasen, Kyle Verreynne, Andile Phehlukwayo, Keshav Maharaj, Kagisa Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Tabraiz Shamsi Fantasy XI Heinrich Klaasen, Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram (c), Avishka Fernando, Charith Asalanka (vc), Janneman Malan, Dhananjaya de Silva, Wanindu Hasaranga, Akila Dananjaya, Keshav Maharaj, Kagisa Rabada