WI vs PAK | Day 2: Brathwaite, Holder script fightback to help Windies take first innings lead

Inside out | Kohli’s struggling, but doesn’t deserve common critics with Rahane and Pujara

What is common between Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane? Or, to be specific, what has been common between the trio that forms the engine room of the Indian Test side? In the context of the ongoing Test at Lord’s, they can be connected to each other by the mode of their dismissals as James Anderson and Ollie Robinson sent them packing similar manners. First, Pujara was tempted to poke at an away going delivery from Anderson, followed by a needless forward defence by Kohli on an innocuous delivery from Robinson, and then Rahane offered Joe Root catching practice at first slip by putting bat to a ball he should have let it go. The second failure of the trio in as many Tests of the series ignited the point about Pujara and Rahane’s future in the Indian Test side. Kohli’s critics saw this as an opportunity to point out that the Indian skipper had not had any great time with the bat in the period when the batsmen batting either side of him in the order were struggling. Hence, they say that Kohli does not get the falk on the same level as Rahane and Pujara while their numbers are pretty similar in the last couple of years. They also say that Kohli can’t put a question mark on the other two since his own bat has been silent for some time now. On the face of it, the argument does appear valid as Kohli has the least average among the three batsmen at 24.18 from the last 10 matches played since 2020. Rahane and Pujara have scored their runs with an average of 25.76 and 25.09 respectively in the same time period. The skipper has also played three Tests less than the other two as he had returned home from Australia after one Test but he has just 387 runs to his name from 16 innings compared to Pujara’s 552 and Rahane’s 541 runs. These numbers validate the point that Kohli’s critics are arguing. Kohli has not been the better of the other two in the middle order but it’s them who are facing the heat after another failure in the first innings at Lord’s. But, does it sound unfair on them? Or it would be unfair for Kohli to be hyphenated with Pujara and Rahane’s problems with the bat? There are certain factors to be taken into consideration before jumping to a conclusion. While the number suggest that Kohli too has been struggling at the same level as Pujara and Rahane, it would grossly unfair to put him on the same pedestal with his vice-captain and India’s number three. Kohli’s dip in form is a recent phenomenon and it started on the tour of New Zealand when he was done in by the prodigious seam movement by Tim Southee and Kyle Jamieson. But, for Rahane and Pujara, runs were hard to come by even before that tour in March 2020. If the time period of comparison gets stretched to one or two years preceding the tour of New Zealand, it would be aptly clear how Kohli has been leaps and bounds different from the other two. Let’s go back to the tour of South Africa in 2017-18 to expand the horizon of comparison. At the start of the series, the team management could not trust Rahane to break the horror run of form he was having in the home series against Sri Lanka and dropped him from the first two Tests. The move was controversial as he was replaced by Rohit Sharma, who was yet to establish his credentials as a Test batsman, but that his numbers compelled the team management to drop him from the first two Tests is a story in itself. Pujara too struggled to cope up with the pressure of facing the trio of Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi and Vernon Philander. He could not muster more than one fifty across the three-match series and was also run out on two occasions that show nothing but fidgety at the crease. Rahane came back strong in the final Test on a tough Wanderers pitch with valuable contributions. However, Kohli was the lone man standing with the bat for India in the series. He had amassed 286 runs from six innings at an average of 47.6 runs per innings. Move forward to the last tour of England, and it was pitted to be Kohli’s litmus Test after a horrible series in 2014 against James Anderson. Now, the story of Rahane was repeated with Pujara at the start of the series as he was dropped from the first Test based on his poor form leading up to the series. He was brought back on a greenish Lord’s pitch and instead of asking the bowlers to earn his wicket, he gifted his wicket by run out to prove chaos in his mind. The case for Rahane was similar as he was struggling with the angle of Ben Stokes and the swing of Anderson. Both of them got back to some form in the Tests after the second one, but could not even come closer to the remarkable run tally of Virat Kohli, who buried the ghosts of the 2014 series with hundred after hundred. The variety of success that Virat Kohli has had with the bat across the world and the inconsistency of both Rahane and Pujara over the last three to four years establishes that the Indian skipper has earned a unique place in the team. However, there are other factors as well that determine the fallacy of hyphenating Kohli’s failures with that of Rahane and Pujara. While all three of them have been champion batsmen for India over the last many years, Virat Kohli’s supremacy is undisputed for the fact that the period of his domination is always longer than the other two. Kohli was in good form on the tour of South Africa and England and he made the best use of it by following one big score with another. On the contrary, except for the series against Australia in 2019 where Pujara scored three centuries, both of them have struggled to own a series with the bat. Rahane’s numbers in the aftermath of that century at the MCG is appalling and so is Pujara’s numbers in the aftermath of a relatively good series in terms of impact against Australia.. The duo has always been in search of good form overseas and although they have been successful to produce match-winning ones such as Rahane’s at the MCG, it remains one after a long period of time and scattered between many low scores that put them under enormous pressure. These arguments can be well settled by absolute numbers. However, there are certain facets of the game that can’t be considered in absolute terms and the perspectives of individual performances is needed. Both Pujara and Rahane have been seriously nervous starters in the last four years. Both of them bat like fish taken out of deep water at the start of the innings and offer plenty of opportunities to the opposition team to get them out. Those gifts also come in the form of runouts of themselves or their teammates at the other end. Also, whenever they are out of nick, they go horribly out of their synchronisations. They appear to be messed up in their heads and technique. Let’s take the ongoing Test at Lord’s as an example. Pujara has been unlucky to get more unplayable balls than others and hence the team management made him realise to go for runs before that inevitable ball arrives. He has shown good ‘intent’ in this series but was guilty of poking a delivery so far away from his off stump. Anderson should be credited for luring him into playing by delivering the ball from wide of the stumps, but Puajra, a veteran of 91 Tests should have been more vigilant outside off stump. Rahane too batted with an extremely unsettled mind in the last hour of the first day. He was guilty of going after a very wide delivery from Anderson on the very last ball of the day which establishes nothing but his nervousness at the crease and subsequent eagerness to feel the ball on his bat. The eagerness cost him his wicket early on the second day. Virat Kohli too was out in a similar way—playing a ball off Robinson so far away from his off stump which could have been left easily. However, he had in him to fight it out and score runs even when chips were down and he was not getting shots through the gap. Kohli appeared to be struggling with both timing and placement but he was not fidgety and edgy like Rahane and Pujara. While it’s a fact that Kohli has been struggling with the bat in the recent past along with Pujara and Rahane, his standing in the same bracket with Rahane and Pujara is nothing but narrative devoid of absolute facts. Kohli has his issues around the off-stump as his hip is once again getting opened up while playing outswingers, but it is not insurmountable and can be addressed in the nets. On the contrary, Pujara and Rahane’s technical flaws are compounded by their lack of confidence due to the drying up of runs, which again is a sign of flawed technique. It is unlikely that both Pujara and Rahane will not get a longer rope in the series as the team management will be reluctant to induce as big a change of moving on from two of their best batsmen in the last many years in mid of a big and long tour. However, the Kohli- Shastri duo has been known to take ruthless calls and if Ashwin’s credentials can be overlooked based on conditions and team combination, the day is not far that Pujara and Rahane’s glorious past with the team will be also be settled once for all.

The Hundred | Invincibles vs Spirit: When & where to watch match Live, Probable XI, Fantasy XI

The first London Derby of the inaugural season of The Hundred was washed out at Lord’s and the second one is now going to take place at Oval. It is going to be a very crucial game for the home side Oval Invincibles who would be without the services of their star bowling campaigner Saqib Mahmood. For Invincibles to go ahead in the tournament they must win this game to enter into the top three of the points table. Their opponent on the other hand have nothing to lose as they are already out of the race of the top three, having accumulated only three points from their six and at max, they can now get up to seven points with two wins in their next two games. That wouldn’t be good enough to take them to the Playoffs as the top three teams already have eight points. The Spirit would also be without the services of Mohammad Nabi who has headed back home to Afghanistan due to personal reasons. In a tense game such as this for the Oval, will they be able to secure a Playoffs birth or will they have to wait for their away fixture against Southern Brave to try and finish into the top three? Only time can tell. Oval Invincibles vs London Spirit: Match Details Match Number- 28 Date and Time: August 14, 2021, 11:00 pm IST, 06:30 pm Local, 05:30pm GMT Venue: Kennington Oval, London Live Stream: FanCode Pitch Report The pitch at Oval has been great if rated on the standards of The Hundred, providing enough for both the bowlers and the batters and ensuring a great high scoring contest, something that the packed house audience likes. Weather Forecast After a week of gloom in London, the skies have finally cleared and hence a cracking game would be at the display as the precipitation percentage is down to 2% during the match hours. Oval Invincibles Probable XI Jason Roy, Will Jacks, Alex Blake, Colin Ingram, Sam Billings (c & wk), Laurie Evans, Sunil Narine, Tom Curran, Tabraiz Shamsi, Reece Topley, Brandon Glover London Spirit Probable XI Adam Rossington (wk), Josh Inglis, Luis Reece, Joe Cracknell, Eoin Morgan (c), Ravi Bopara, David Wiese, Roelof van der Merwe, Blake Cullen, Bradley Wheal, Mason Crane Fantasy XI Jason Roy, Adam Rossington, Colin Ingram, Sam Billings, Eoin Morgan, Roelof van der Merwe, Sunil Narine, Tom Curran, Tabraiz Shamsi, Blake Cullen, Bradley Wheal Captain Jason Roy Vice-Captain Eoin Morgan

2nd Test, Day 2: Root, Burns keep England in game after India squander hard-earned advantage

India were in such a good position at the end of the first day’s play that they needed to have a disastrous first session on the second day to given England a sizable opportunity. On cue, they were at it with wickets falling in heap in the first couple of overs of the day itself. The hosts, however, could stop the belligerence of Rishabh Pant and control of Ravindra Jadeja from taking India to an above-par score in the first innings. Later, England’s batsmen could manage to see off the new ball without suffering damage right at the start. However, their stay at the crease could not get very long as Mohammed Siraj produced two consecutive wicket-taking deliveries to bring India back in the game. Centurion of the last game, Joe Root steadied the ship along with Rory Burns, who looked assured around his off stump and batted fluently for is 49. England finished the day 118/3 with Root and Jonny Bairstow remaining unbeatne to keep the game in the balance. Rahane’s jitteriness, Jadeja’s patience After KL Rahul departed in the very first over of the day driving an Ollie Robinson’s half volley straight to cover, there were three men to steer India towards a formidable total in the first innings. One of them and India’s vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane has been at his best in the last few Tests although he got a decent 49 in the World Test Championship final against New Zealand. On the last ball of the first day, he had attempted to drive full delivery from James Anderson in a move that establishes nothing his restlessness at the crease and eagerness to put bat to ball. He was lucky last evening but it cost him his wicket on the very first ball of Anderson on the second day and India had both their unbeaten batsmen back in the pavilion in space of the first seven balls of the day. India were thin in their batting after playing four quicks and it was now or never moment for Jadeja and Rishabh Pant if the side were to have a decent first innings total. Pant played in his usual belligerent style while Jadeja mimicked the control and preciseness of Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul from the first day. He knew that England needed to open one end up to get through to the tailenders and hence shut shop completely as Pant started dazzling England bowlers for runs. He never played a short in anger before taking India to a respectable total and was the last man to be dismissed in search of quick runs while batting with the last man. Siraj’s brilliant length, Kohli’s half-hearted review calls India did not ask Mohammed Siraj to bowl with the new ball as Ishant Sharma over him and Mohammed Shami. However, the England openers were watchful and did not offer their wickets. Kohli switched to Siraj only in the 13th over and he was at his best from the first over. The results came in the second over in the form of Dom Sibley, who has not been able to rectify his woefully messed technique at the crease and a returning Haseeb Hameed on consecutive deliveries. He was getting a nice shape into the right-handers and due to the slowness of the pitch that was not allowing the edges to carry to the slips, he attacked the stumps. He found Root twice in front of the stumps but umpire Michael Gough did not agree on either occasion. Siraj has shown the tendency of getting over-excited and getting emotional with the flow of the game and the trend continued on the second day as he compelled Kohli to waste not one but two reviews. The grumpiness on Kohli after losing the second review showed that he is getting affected by those terrible review calls that he himself is signalling for. Fluent Burns keep England in the game Rory Burns was England’s Man of the Series in the series against New Zealand that preceded the ongoing one against India. However, his inability to follow one good innings with another, and along with his partners’ struggle at the top has not made life easier for the left-hander. However, on the day things were at stake for England in pursuit of matching India’s 364, Burns was back to his watchful and fluent best. He has been blamed for his idiosyncrasies at the crease but once again showed that none of his movements that have been deemed excessive by critics limits his stroke play on the leg side and control outside the off stump. He fell on 49 while trying to nudge Shami off his legs but his calm and reassuring 49 would have helped in calming things down in the hosts’ dressing room after the initial fall of wickets. Looking forward to the third day The game hangs in balance but India have more advantages going into the third day as England batsmen except Root have not been at their best so far in the series. Bairstow looked good in the first Test but he is struggling to convert starts into big ones. Moeen Ali will be back to playing in England after a long gap while Buttler too has had nervous moments so far in the series. The first session on the second day offered most opportunities for the bowlers and India would be relying on their quartet of pacers to knock the hosts over quickly in the first innings. For England, the onus will once again be on Root’s shoulder if they have to stand any chance of coming on par with India’s first innings total. If he fails early, India would be in with a huge chance to gain a significantly superior position in the game.

I never had a role model with which I could identify: Abtaha Maqsood, first Hijab-wearing cricketer in UK

Stereotypes are created by continuous repression of somebody’s desire by societal pressure. Sometimes it takes generations and many interventions to break that, at other times, just the free will of a determined person achieves it in a splash. Abtaha Maqsood, a British Muslim of Pakistani descent, who represents Scotland Women in International cricket and Birmingham Phoenix Women in the inaugural edition of The Hundred seemed to have broken a stereotype by her sheer willpower. A dentistry student from Glassgow, not only does Abtaha became the first woman to wear a Hijab (sacred headscarf worn generally by Muslim women to cover their head) in her international games for Scotland, but she also became the first cricketer to play a game in England and Wales sporting the Hijab. It happened during The Hundred where she has so far played seven games for Phoenix. Talking about this unique feat, the 22-year-old said, "When I was a young kid and I first started wearing the hijab and started playing cricket, it was tough for me back then.” “And now that I'm on this big stage and I feel so comfortable with myself, it just feels amazing to me,” she added in an interview with Sky Cricket. Saying that she didn’t feel she belonged on the biggest stage as she was having problems making her teammates and cricket board understand her needs and limitations, the leggie now feels that things have changed for the better. "Cricket Scotland has learned a lot and now things like halal food, and wearing long-sleeved shirts and stuff like that, not wearing shorts, all that sort of thing is just like second nature to them. They just kind of know now not to give me non-halal food and always to make sure that there is food available for me. We've come really far,” said the bowler who has represented her national team in 18 T20Is and has so far picked up 23 international wickets. Abataha feels that Birmingham Phoenix has been a great experience for her so far. But she focuses on the fact that representation of all ethnicities and all kinds of diversity is necessary for cricket and especially for young children to identify themselves with their role models. "I think representation matters so much. When I was growing up I never really had a role model to look up to who looked exactly like me; I really hope to be that person for a lot of people and I really hope that The Hundred shows me in that light and people are hopefully able to be inspired by that,” she said.