SMAT 2021 Round Up: Kerala in red-hot form, Arjun Tendulkar makes debut

Washington Sundar relishes fairy tale Test debut as Gabba tests depth of India's resources

If any cricket fan or even Washington Sundar was told before the start of the test series against Australia that he would be the sole spinner for India in a winner takes all game at the Gabba, they would have burst out laughing on the extent of far-fetched dream. But that far-fetched dream is now a reality as the off-spinner has become the latest beneficiary of the resource depletion in the Indian team as the long and gruelling tour of Australia is nearing its end. Such has been the exhaustion of Indian resources due to injuries that all of the four first-choice pacers for the team along with the famous spin twins of Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin have been knocked out of the final Test of the series where everything is at stake. For off-spinner Sundar, the debut did not come easy and it should not have been anyway, had India could not be tempted to see him as a like for like replacement of Jadeja due to his potency with the bat. He was stayed back in Australia by the team management to facilitate the batsmen in net sessions, and no one can imagine that for a sport as competitive as Cricket where many of his teammates have faced fractures and pain in the body against a raging pace attack, only staying in the dressing room will matter at the end of the day. Sundar can’t thank enough the team management for keeping him together with the team, and he reckoned that the move helped him in getting better, both with the bat and the ball. He described the hours leading up to his Test debut as special hours of his life and dedicated all his success to his family. "I thank the team management for keeping me through the Test series. I felt it would really help me get better with my skill level -- both in my batting and my bowling with the kind of facilities you get here. The last 24 hours have been amazing for me. The team management asked me to be ready to play. I think I should dedicate this to my family as they sacrificed a lot. Without their support, it would have been impossible for me to play Test cricket, especially make debut in a place like Australia," Washington said in the virtual press conference after the end of the first day’s play in Brisbane. Sundar last played in a first-class match in the Indian domestic cricket way back in 2017 and there must have been doubts on his bowling abilities over a longer period of time given all he has played in his recent past is T20 cricket. But, Sundar takes this as a challenge and relishes the prospect of bowling long spells where he could set up batsmen and layout plans to dismiss batsmen like he did today by dismissing Steve Smith as his first Test wicket. "Like any bowler, I love bowling a lot of overs. It's just so much fun to bowl a lot of overs. Give me 20, 30, 40 or 50 overs. We had some plans going for Steve Smith and (Marnus) Labuschagne and I am very glad they worked. The first wicket definitely felt good,” Washington said. It looked like an innocuous delivery pitched on the leg stump but Smith’s casual execution on a nudge towards the keg side handed Washington his maiden wicket, but he believes that plan laid out by Ashwin in the Tests leading up to his debut paved the way for him to attack Smith on that line. "We did have some plans for Smith and it's a different game altogether. Last game was different, conditions were different and I had to bowl good balls over and over again. It happened (the dismissal) and it's great.” India fielded a bowling attack with experience of only four Tests between them, but Washington said that they are competitive enough to shine on the big stage. He heaped praise on his mate from the home state of Tamil Nadu and a fellow debutant T Natarajan and said that he bought his dimension to the Indian attack to bring the team back in the game with the wickets of set batsmen in Marnus Labuschagne and Matthew Wade. "If you see everyone, they have all done well at the first-class level. More than experience, guys were all excited. Nattu (T Natarajan) bowled really well and he brought his value to the team. “Nattu (Natarajan) bowled well. He brought us back in the game. (Matthew) Wade and Marnus (Labuschagne) had a 120 odd-run partnership and, he took both of them out. It feels good to make my debut alongside him.” Washington Sundar was rated just a slow bowler by Fox commentators Shane Warne and Mark Vaugh for his inability to spin the ball and it is only true that he would never have played at the Gabba or in near future even in the absence of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja as there are players waiting in the wings to spin the ball and also their career, but what worked well for Sundar is that he was at the right place, at a right time and he is going to cherish every bit of his Test debut in a hard to predict Test career.

Daily Round up | Jan 15: Dream debut for Natarjan, racism row strikes again

India have selected some young pacers to replace the injured one for the fourth Test against Australia in Brisbane while pacer Mohammed Siraj has been racially abused again by the crowd. Here are the latest updates from the cricketing world. India have a decent start The visitors have had a decent start to the fourth and final Test of the series against Australia after restricting the home side to 274/5 before the stumps were called on. T.Natarajan and Washington Sundar made their Test debut for India. Both Natarajan and Sundar had a decent start to their debut. The left-arm pacer Natarajan scalped a couple of wickets which included an important scalp of Marnus Labuschange while Sundar removed Steve Smith. Labuschagne notched up a ton during the course. Siraj, Sundar abused Mohammed Siraj and debutant Washington Sundar were racially abused by the crowd at the Gabba in Brisbane. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Siraj was called a “grub” by some spectators. “The guys behind me have been calling – shouting – both Washington and Siraj grubs,” a spectator named Kate was quoted as saying by the newspaper. “It started targeted at Siraj and it was a chant similar to the SCG one (in which fans sang to the tune of Que Sera, Sera but substituted the lyrics with Que Shiraz, Shiraz). “But this time it was Siraj. I suspect it’s not a coincidence that it’s Siraj being targeted post the SCG stuff.” “Siraj, give us a wave, give us a wave, give us a wave. Siraj, you bloody grub,” a man in the stands was heard yelling. Joe Root smashes ton England have continued to dominate Sri Lanka in the first Test in Galle. The second day of the Test was halted due to rain but captain Joe Root went on to score his hundred and was 168* when the stumps were called on. Daniel Lawrence scored 73 before getting out as England were 320/4 at the end of Day 2. Sri Lanka were earlier bundled out for 135. Arjun Tendulkar makes Mumbai debut Former India player Sachin Tendulkar’s son Arjun has made his debut for Mumbai team against Haryana in the Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy. Arjun bowled three overs and gave 34 runs, picking up one wicket. Haryana were chasing 144 that they completed by 8 wickets. Arjun removed Chaitanya Bishnoi for 4. Melbourne Stars thump Adelaide Strikers Melbourne Stars had a dominating win against Adelaide Strikers by 111 runs. Strikers were bundled out for 68 while chasing 180. Adam Zampa scalped a five-wicket haul at the cost of just 17 runs in 3.2 overs. Earlier, Melbourne rode on Andre Fletcher’s brisk 49-ball 89* that included four maximums and 8 boundaries. Captain Glenn Maxwell scored 37 off 28 while Cartwright chipped in with an aggressive 30* off 17.

ECB dismisses concerns over Covid-19 outbreak in England team hotel in Galle

Two staff members of the Lighthouse Hotel in Galle where the touring England cricket team are staying while the first Test match of the series against Sri Lanka is going on, have tested positive for novel coronavirus infection. Reportedly, those two members work in the hotel’s kitchen as the development of two cases raises fears of the outbreak among the tourists’ camps. However, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has dismissed the fears surrounding the coronavirus cases emerging from the team hotel and said that the team is fully compliant of the protocols in place and that they are not in danger of this outbreak. "We are not concerned. Our protocols have been excellent and we continue to be vigilant. We are the most compliant team in world cricket. We are the only international team in any sport to have a COVID compliance officer. He is responsible for ensuring we meet the highest of standards across our COVID protocols. Notably, England’s Moeen Ali became the first case of the new variant of a novel coronavirus in the island nation after Englishmen arrived in the country for the series. After that, Ali has been under separate isolation for the last 12 days. Earlier in 2020, the ODI series between South Africa and England was abandoned in the middle of the series due to the emergence of cases in the staff members of the hotel where teams were staying.

Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar abused by crowd at the Gabba

India fast bowler Mohammed Siraj and all-rounder Washington Sundar were targeted at the Gabba in Brisbane. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Siraj was called a “grub” by some spectators. “The guys behind me have been calling – shouting – both Washington and Siraj grubs,” a spectator named Kate was quoted as saying by the newspaper. “It started targeted at Siraj and it was a chant similar to the SCG one (in which fans sung to the tune of Que Sera, Sera but substituted the lyrics with Que Shiraz, Shiraz). “But this time it was Siraj. I suspect it’s not a coincidence that it’s Siraj being targeted post the SCG stuff.” “Siraj, give us a wave, give us a wave, give us a wave. Siraj, you bloody grub,” a man in the stands was heard yelling. This is the second instance when the Indian players have been racially abused. Earlier, Siraj and fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah were targeted by the spectators at the Sydney Cricket Ground during the third day’s play in the third Test between Australia and India, a Cricbuzz reported. Responding to the issue, the Indian team management led by the captain Ajinkya Rahane, and other senior players reported the case to the match officials including the match referee David Boon, umpires Paul Wilson, and Paul Rieffel, the report added. India and Australia are facing each other in the fourth and final Test in Brisbane. Australia ended the first day at 274/5.