Tamim Iqbal eyeing international return in Test series against Pakistan

T20 World Cup | India were unaware about the extent of Hardik Pandya's injury, alleges former selector

The series of allegations and blame games are coming thick and fast after India lost to New Zealand in their last game and now face the prospect of an early exit from the tournament. Hardik Pandya’s fitness was one of the major concerns for India coming into the tournament and former selector Sarandeep Singh has come down heavily on India’s team management for not having a clear idea about his injury and recovery. In an interview with Sportskeeda, Sarandeep Singh said that Hardik Pandya’s injury seems to be a major one as he is not bowling albeit showing clear eagerness to roll his arm over. He said that neither the Indian team nor Mumbai Indians—his IPL side, knew the exact extent of his injury and hence there is silence from players such as Rohit Sharma over his availability. "Hardik definitely wants to bowl, but since he isn’t, means his injury is a big one. He doesn’t go to the NCA, he treats himself to the Mumbai Indians staff. So nobody really knows and nobody is saying anything. The reason why Rohit Sharma is not able to say anything in press conferences is because even Rohit doesn’t really know," Singh said. Hardik Pandya had bowled in the nets before the game against the Blackcaps and he bowled two overs against them although India did not have enough runs to enforce any sort of pressure on the batsmen. No bowler other than Jasprit Bumrah could take wickets and Hardik Pandya’s bowling as the sixth bowler could not have come on a more insignificant occasion for the men in blue.

T20 World Cup | Former selectors question Chetan Sharma over selection of 'half-fit' Hardik Pandya

As India have suffered two heavy defeats in the ongoing T20 World Cup and are staring at elimination without making it to the semi-finals, the battle lines are being drawn by former cricketers and analyst over what went wrong for Virat Kohli’s men in the tournament. While failure with the bat and lack of penetration with the ball have been emphasised in nuanced analyses, personnel have also been under stern scanners. One of the biggest talking points before the selection of India’s squad for the tournament and also during the tournament has been the fitness and form of Hardik Pandya. Pandya did not bowl in the Indian Premier League and simultaneously lost form with the bat from the first phase of the tournament. Former national selector Sarandeep Singh has now questioned the claims made by the current chairman of the selection committee Chetan Sharma in which he had said that Pandya was fit and would be bowling a full quota of overs in the T20 World cup. He questioned the lack of transparency from the current selection committee and said that during his tenure, players’ availability and fitness were made public appropriately which he says has not happened in this case. He said that the all-rounder has found himself in a needless controversy and that it’s Chetan Sharma’s job to explain what happened to the squad and why he was picked without full assessment of his injury and availability with the ball. “Hardik Pandya’s fitness issues are being talked about for a while now, but why don’t you ask the selection committee about this? We used to answer all questions during our tenure – if someone was unfit or anything – everything used to be open. But why isn’t it the same anymore? Chetan Sharma addressed the media just once, and he spoke something strange and walked away,” Sarandeep Singh said to Sportskeeda. "When the chairman of the selection committee said he’s fully fit and he will bowl in the World Cup, so the chairman needs to be questioned now where is the fitness. He needs to say something – he is injured, he is not able to bowl, something. It’s unfair on Hardik as well, a quality player is stuck in controversy for no fault of his. If the injury is there, it’s okay, can’t do much about it.” Another former selector, Sandeep Patil, who was the chief national selector before the selection committee comprising of Sarandeep Singh, had questioned Chetan Sharma on similar lines. He had also fixed the responsibility on the head coach Ravi Shastri and skipper Virat Kohli for playing Pandya in the playing XI. “His (Pandya) selection in the XI is up to the captain and the coach, and only the BCCI will know about it. But basically, if a player is not fit, then it comes to the selectors. If he didn’t bowl in the entire IPL, the selectors should have taken a call. They should have asked for a fitness test before including him in the team for the World Cup,” Patil had said to Times of India.

T20 World Cup | Shakib Al Hasan ruled out of remaining games due to hamstring injury

Bangladesh star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has been ruled out of the remainder of the ongoing T20 World Cup after sustaining his hamstring during their last game against West Indies. "Shakib sustained a left lower hamstring strain while fielding during the match against the West Indies. In clinical examination it was diagnosed as an injury of Grade 1 intensity,'' said chief physician of the BCB, Debashish Chowdhury. "He is ruled out from participation in the last two matches of the tournament and until further review.”

Ashes 2021-22 | Joe Root takes inspiration from India's Gabba heroics to turn the heat on Australia

As the days of the upcoming Ashes series in Australia draw closer, the England Test skipper is looking up to India’s superlative win at the Gabba to come with full force and a fearless approach to stand up to Australia. Before that Test loss to India, Australia had not lost the longest format of the game at the venue for decades and even the 2010-11 Ashes series, where the three lions emerged victoriously, they could come as far as drawing the Test. Root emphasized the need for his teammates to win crucial moments of the game and carry on with earned momentum for a long period of time to turn the tables on the hosts Australia. “Look at that India team that won at the Gabba. They were a long way from their first-choice XI but they had no fear, they stood up to Australia and won crucial parts of that Test. It will give every player in our squad a huge amount of confidence and just plant a little bit of doubt in Australia’s mind having to go back there and play again for the first time against us, what with it being such a stronghold for them for such a long period of time. We now know that it’s not,” Root said to The Guardian in an interview. Root was also delighted to see one of his biggest match-winner and deputy Ben Stokes regaining a frame of mind to come back to the Test squad or the big series. Root reiterated his already made public stand that Stokes was given full time and space to consider himself fit, both physically and mentally and that the decision to take that “indefinite break” and now the return was taken solely by him. “I’d got an inkling,” Root says. “I’d had some good conversations with Ben over the period while he’s not been playing. It was just such a joy to hear him speak, you could almost hear his smile, if that makes sense, down the phone. You could tell he was so much happier within himself. Just the fact he feels he’s in a place where he’s ready to play cricket again is the most exciting thing,” Root added. “We made it very clear to Ben, it’s got to be right for you. You have to be in the right space to go and play, physically and mentally. One thing about Ben, he’s very honest, he won’t shirk any difficult conversations and he’s been true to that through the whole thing. We have been through a lot on and off the field. To see him now back in a place where he is able to enjoy his cricket again and feel more himself, that’s the best part of the whole thing. It’s just really exciting.” Joe Root has not had a Test hundred in Australia but he is going there this time on the back of masterful centuries and plenty of runs under his belt and he will back himself to break that batting curse in Australia this time. The first Test of the Ashes series will start on December 09 at the Gabba.