Following Washington Sundar's outstanding performance on Day 1 of the IND vs NZ 2nd Test, sister M S Shailaja praised the off-spinner's remarkable bowling following a 3.5-year hiatus from the longest format of the game. Sundar delivered a sensational display, spearheading the Indian bowling attack with an impressive seven wickets in his 24-over spell, maintaining an economical rate of just 2.50. "It was lovely to watch him play the way he played today and it was indeed a very proud moment for us as a family. To watch him the way he played and took the wickets was phenomenal. He is been doing a great job and we are very happy and proud of him for the way he made his comeback in Tests after 3.5 years. What he did today was top-class," Shailaja said while speaking to ANI. T. I. M. B. E. R! 🎯Cracker of a ball! 👌 👌Washington Sundar with a breakthrough 🙌 🙌Live ▶️ https://t.co/YVjSnKCtlI #TeamIndia | #INDvNZ | @Sundarwashi5 | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/OC8VS7fnwT — BCCI (@BCCI) October 24, 2024 Further, she opened up about the support she got from Sundar during her cricketing journey so far. "We both have been playing cricket since childhood. I know the way how he has grown up. During childhood, we have discussed cricket a lot on and off the field as well as at home. He has been supporting me and has been there for me every time when I needed him during my cricketing career so far. He helped me a lot in terms of cricket as well as in the mental aspects of the game especially when things are not going in my way. He's always been supportive throughout my journey," she added. Shailaja, a professional cricketer who has played across all formats of the game in domestic cricket, started her journey into the game of cricket at around six years of age. She has had a long career since her debut for the Tamil Nadu state team way back in 2003, at just 11 years old, having since then played across various age categories and currently represents the Pondicherry Senior team. Also Read: Pretty Sundar show! Coming to Day 1 of the IND vs NZ 2nd Test, New Zealand decided to bat against India after winning the toss. New Zealand were bowled out for 259 in the first innings on day one following Washington Sundar's seven-wicket haul. Devon Conway (76 runs from 141 balls, 11 fours) and Rachin Ravindra (65 runs from 105 balls, 5 fours and 1 six) were the star performers for the Kiwis as they took the visitors to 259 in the first inning. Sundar's scalps included the in-form Rachin Ravindra who had played a key role in New Zealand's win in the first encounter, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee and Ajaz Patel. Sundar was drafted into India's squad for the remaining two Tests against the Blackcaps on the back of his stunning performance in the Ranji game against Delhi at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. Apart from Sundar, Ravichandran Ashwin bagged three wickets and bundled out New Zealand on day one itself. India had a sloppy start to their first inning as Rohit Sharma was dismissed in the third over. Tim Southee bowled out the India skipper's wicket. At Stumps on Day 1, India are 16/1 with Shubman Gill (10*) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (6*) unbeaten on the crease. After Day 1, India trailed by 243 runs. (With ANI inputs)
25 October,2024 09:15 AM IST | Chennai | mid-day online correspondentVeteran David Warner's lifetime ban on any leadership role within Australian cricket imposed after a 2018 ball-tampering scandal was lifted Friday. It follows the 37-year-old presenting his case to have the terms of the original sanction amended before a three-person panel. They found unanimously that Warner met all criteria to have the ban lifted immediately, noting his 'respectful and contrite tone' and that he acknowledged responsibility for his conduct. Warner has retired from the international game, but the decision opens the door for a leadership role at his Big Bash League club Sydney Thunder. "I am pleased David has chosen to have his sanction reviewed and that he will be eligible to take up leadership positions in Australian cricket this summer," said Cricket Australia chief Nick Hockley. Warner was cast as the key villain in the so-called 'Sandpaper-gate' scandal in Cape Town in 2018, having conspired with then-skipper Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft to illegally alter the surface of the ball. He was suspended from playing for a year and banned from any leadership role for life. In his application to have the ban overturned, Warner provided references from current Australian skipper Pat Cummins and coach Andrew McDonald. Former New Zealand captain Kane Williamson also vouched for him. Also Read: 'When I finish my cricket...': David Warner on living in 'loving and positive' India after retirement Warner recently said that he is willing to come out of retirement to play in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy if his side needs him in the opening slot. While the hosts had won the clash, Warner scored 34 and 57 in both innings, respectively. "I'm always available, just got to pick up the phone. I'm always dead serious. Let's be honest, the guys have played one red ball game since their last Test matches in February, so I've almost had the same preparation," Warned told Code Sports. Australia's home outing against India will be crucial for their quest to qualify for the final of the World Test Championship. The five-Test series gets underway in Perth on November 22. While the Australian players are preparing hard by participating in the Sheffield Shield, David Warner will have to play some matches in the same to regain his fitness and impress the selectors again. "Honestly, if they really needed myself for this series, I'm more than happy to play the next Shield game and go out there and play." "I did retire for the right reasons to finish the game, and I wanted to finish (but) my hand is up if they desperately need someone. I'm not going to shy away from that", David Warner added.
25 October,2024 08:54 AM IST | Sydney | mid-day online correspondentLast Saturday, when he slammed 152 for Tamil Nadu in a Ranji Trophy game against Delhi in Delhi, a Test recall might have been the last thing on Washington Sundar’s mind. By Sunday night, news of his call-up for the second Test against New Zealand became official. On Tuesday afternoon, he joined up with his India colleagues for the first practice session ahead of the second game, and on Thursday evening, he conjured up his best figures in first-class cricket on Day One of the second Test at the MCA International Stadium. To say that it has been a frenetic six days for the 25-year-old from Tamil Nadu will be an understatement. In his first Test in more than three and a half years, he was expected to be the understudy to R Ashwin, the senior offie with more than 500 scalps, and Ravindra Jadeja, who recently went past the 300-wicket mark. All seven wickets in 3rd spell Instead, it was Sundar who was the cynosure of more than 18,000 pairs of eyes at the ground. With a terrific display of intelligent, controlled off-spin bowling, Sundar picked up 7-59, all seven wickets coming in a third spell of 10.1 overs, to help India somewhat negate the disadvantage of losing the toss on a surface that will become progressively difficult for batting as the Test progresses. Devon Conway during his 76 New Zealand’s top order expressed its gratitude for being gifted with the best batting conditions of the match with a strong riposte once Tom Latham called right, battling their way to 197-3, a little before tea, when Rohit Sharma switched Sundar’s ends and brought him on from the Pavilion End, from where Ashwin had picked up the first three wickets. That move worked like a dream. With his first delivery, he cleaned up Rachin Ravindra, a thorn in India’s side all series, with a magic ball that drifted into the left-hander and broke away on pitching to hit off-stump. It was the first act in a destructive passage of play during which Sundar hit the stumps five times and trapped Daryl Mitchell leg before. Also Read: India 16/1 at stumps on day one of second Test, trail New Zealand by 243 runs New Zealand lost their last seven wickets for 62 runs to be bowled out for 259, anything but non-competitive on a track that has held up quite nicely thus far, but may not stay that way for long. India had a tricky 40 minutes to negotiate, with the natural light dramatically fading, and lost Rohit in that period, squared up and bowled by Tim Southee without scoring. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill survived a few anxious moments to go to stumps at 16-1, facing the prospect of a long day’s toil on Friday. Akash Deep fails to capitalise Sundar was one of three changes India made from the Bangalore defeat, coming in for Kuldeep Yadav more to offer control, but he was the most impressive of India’s performers. Akash Deep, preferred to Mohammed Siraj, had a day to forget while Sarfaraz Khan will be determined to justify keeping his place ahead of KL Rahul once it was clear that Gill had recovered completely from the stiff neck that kept him out of the first Test. Brief scoresNZ 259 all out (D Conway 76, R Ravindra 65, M Santner 33; W Sundar 7-59, R Ashwin 3-64) v India 16-1 (S Gill 10*) Playing Ranji Trophy with red ball helped: Washington The stunning re-emergence of Washington Sundar as a Test cricketer has a catalytic force of recent vintage behind it — his excellent outing for Tamil Nadu against Delhi. His 152, while batting at No. 3, and a six-wicket match haul earlier this month was enough to convince head coach Gautam Gambhir to fast-track the all-rounder into the India playing XI. Sundar vindicated the call with an outing of 7-59 against New Zealand, and that too in his first Test since March 2021. The Tamil Nadu man duly acknowledged the significance of playing red-ball matches at the domestic level. “It was a great opportunity for me to play the Tamil Nadu v Delhi game because it’s good to be playing [with the] red ball every now and then and keep getting the rhythm in red-ball [cricket] going — both with the bat and ball — and be consistent with it,” he said.
25 October,2024 06:46 AM IST | Pune | R KaushikNew Zealand will look to replicate the approach of the Indian spinners in varying their pace on the ball to get wickets when play resumes on Day Two of the second Test here, said assistant coach Luke Ronchi. Washington Sundar (7-59) and Ravichandran Ashwin (3-64) combined to keep New Zealand to 259 in the first innings as India reached 16-1 at stumps the opening day here. “If you notice, for the first couple of sessions, the Indians were bowling quite quick — the spinners — and towards the back end they started to slow their pace,” Ronchi told the media after the day’s play. Ashwin and Sundar worked out the plan of varying pace to trigger a New Zealand collapse from being 197-3. Also Read: India 16/1 at stumps on day one of second Test, trail New Zealand by 243 runs While Ashwin took three wickets at the top, Sundar claimed the remaining seven to record his best figures in Test cricket. “That sort of made for variable, a bit more turn and bounce and variable sort of reactions off the surface, so that’s something we can use in our bowling innings, knowing that changes of pace are quite significant,” he added. Ronchi praised Sundar for being consistent with his lengths on the first day to extract the most out of the surface. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
25 October,2024 06:38 AM IST | Pune | PTIFormer Australia skipper Michael Clarke has asked Australia to consider a specialist opener instead of a misfiring Steven Smith during the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Test series against India at home, starting next month. The batting stalwart’s preferred batting position in Tests is No. 4 but he took on the role of opener after David Warner’s retirement. However, Smith hasn’t enjoyed great success at the top of the batting order. Clarke’s comments come days after former opener Warner expressed his desire to come out of retirement, which he announced earlier this year, for the crucial series. Also Read: India 16/1 at stumps on day one of second Test, trail New Zealand by 243 runs While tall all-rounder Cameron Green is another good option for the opener’s slot, the Aussies will miss his services against India due to a back injury. “We made a mistake in getting Smith to open the batting in Test cricket, so let’s not make the same mistake. Let’s pick a specialist opener, whoever is best equipped,” Clarke told Sky Sports Radio. While Australia have the option of picking up Sam Konstas and Marcus Harris for the opener’s slot, reports have also suggested that the selectors might be considering Josh Inglis and Nathan McSweeney. However, despite Inglis and McSweeney’s recent good run in Sheffield Shield, they haven’t really batted as openers. Clarke is not quite in favour of the two, considering the kind of bowling attack India possess. “How can you justify Josh Inglis is a better person to open the batting in a Test match against this Indian attack than a specialist opener?” he wondered. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
25 October,2024 06:27 AM IST | Sydney | PTIIndia’s off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin became the highest wicket-taker in the history of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) during the second Test against New Zealand at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune on Thursday. Ashwin achieved the milestone in the opening session of Day One after dismissing New Zealand captain Tom Latham, opener Will Young and Devon Conway. With these three wickets, Ashwin moved to 189 wickets in 39 matches in the WTC history from 2019 to 2024, surpassing Australia’s Nathan Lyon, who had 187 wickets in 43 Tests. Also Read: India 16/1 at stumps on day one of second Test, trail New Zealand by 243 runs Australia’s Test captain Pat Cummins is in third place with 175 wickets in 42 matches. India pacer Jasprit Bumrah placed seventh with 124 wickets from 30 matches. Ashwin has so far taken 530 wickets in 104 matches at an average of under 24, which places him second on India’s all-time Test wicket-taking list, behind only the legendary Anil Kumble, who claimed 619 wickets. Besides his bowling heroics, Ahswin has 3,438 runs at an average of 26.44, with six centuries and 14 half-centuries to his name. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
25 October,2024 06:27 AM IST | Pune | IANSStand-in captain Aiden Markram hailed South Africa’s first Test win in the subcontinent in a decade as a “special moment” for the team as the players basked in the glory following their seven-wicket triumph against the hosts at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium. South Africa ended a decade-long drought in the Indian subcontinent with a commanding seven-wicket win over Bangladesh. This triumph marked South Africa’s first Test win in the region since 2014. Also Read: Stokes expects spin battle in decider v Pakistan Markram praised the efforts of his team, particularly given their relative inexperience in the challenging conditions. “I think it’s special. We’ve got a pretty young, or slightly experienced group, so to come to the subcontinent and get a result creates a nice buzz in the change room,” said Markram. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
25 October,2024 06:22 AM IST | Dhaka | IANSEngland fought back to reduce Pakistan to 73-3 on the first day of the series-deciding third Test in Rawalpindi Thursday, after off-spinner Sajid Khan took six wickets. Sajid finished with 6-128 and left-arm spinner Noman Ali took 3-88 after a rearguard 89 by wicketkeeper Jamie Smith enabled England to recover to 267 from a precarious 110-5 at lunch. Also Read: Will India be able to dominate Kiwis after an unexpected loss in the opener? At stumps, Pakistan captain Shan Masood and Saud Shakeel were both unbeaten on 16, with the home team trailing by 194 and the match in the balance. “Smith played a brilliant knock otherwise we could have got them out for under 200,” said Sajid. Brief scoresEngland 267 (J Smith 89, B Duckett 52; S Khan 6-128, N Ali 3-88) v Pakistan 73-3 (S Masood 16*, S Shakeel 16*) This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
25 October,2024 06:22 AM IST | Rawalpindi | AFPA delay in arrival of packaged water bottles caused a melee at the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) stadium during the second India-New Zealand Test here with some fans raising slogans against the host association, which later apologised for the lapse. The Test that got underway this morning had a turnout of around 18,000. With a large part of the stands in the MCA stadium without roofs, fans, who sat under the sun, rushed to water stations after the end of the first session’s play only to find water not being available at the booths. Also Read: Shreyas granted leave The crowd kept swelling at the booths and started raising slogans against the MCA after waiting for a while. By then, the security personnel had started distributing packaged water bottles to defuse the situation. “Our sincere apologies to all the fans for the inconvenience caused. We will ensure things will be alright going forward. We have already addressed the water issue,” MCA secretary Kamlesh Pisal later told the media. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
25 October,2024 06:22 AM IST | Pune | PTILegendary Sunil Gavaskar reckons India may have panicked by including Washington Sundar in the playing XI for the second Test against New Zealand ahead of Kuldeep Yadav. Hosts India made three changes to their playing eleven for the second Test. They replaced Mohammed Siraj and KL Rahul with Akash Deep and Shubhman Gill respectively while wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav made way for Washington. “It feels like a bit of a panic decision taken by Team India. You do not make three changes to the squad often,” Gavaskar said on broadcast after the toss on Thursday. India trail the three-match series 0-1 after losing the first Test by eight wickets last week. “I don’t see a lot of teams making three changes unless there are injury concerns. Including Washington Sundar tells you they are worried about their batting. More than his bowling, they need his batting down the order as the cushion,” Gavaskar said. Also Read: Shreyas granted leave “Yes, there is a lot of talk about the left-handers in the New Zealand batting unit, but I would have picked Kuldeep Yadav, who can also turn it away from a left-hander,” Gavaskar added. However, former India batter Sanjay Manjerakar lauded captain Rohit Sharma for his decision to bring in the inform Akash Deep and Washington. “Common sense selection. In-form seamer in. When pitch is offering a lot, you don’t need an artist like Kuldeep, a tall, quick, finger spinner will do,” Manjerakar tweeted. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
25 October,2024 06:22 AM IST | Pune | PTINew Zealand will look to replicate the approach of the Indian spinner on day two of the second Test match in Pune, said the Kiwis' assistant coach Luke Ronchi. Washington Sundar snapped seven wickets for 59 runs, followed by Ravichandran Ashwin claimed three wickets for 64 runs. Following this, New Zealand's innings was wrapped up at 259 runs in their first innings. Team India lost one wicket to their skipper Rohit Sharma and are at 16 runs at the stumps of the first day. "If you notice, for the first couple of sessions, the Indians were bowling quite quick, the spinners, and towards the back end they started to slow their pace", Luke Ronchi told the media after the day's play. Ashwin and Washington worked out the plan of varying pace to trigger a New Zealand collapse from being 197/3. Also Read: Radha Yadav stars in India's 59-run win over NZ in first women's ODI While Ashwin took three wickets at the top, Washington claimed the remaining seven to record his best figures in Test cricket. "That sort of made for variable, a bit more turn and bounce and variable sort of reactions off the surface, so that's something we can use in our bowling innings, knowing that changes of pace are quite significant", Luke Ronchi added. Following Sundar's seven-wicket haul, Luke Ronchi heaped praise on him for being consistent with his lengths on the first day of the second Test match. "It was just this consistency of being able to hit a good area for long periods of time. There were some balls that went really wide in the crease." "He got some good drift and the ball that got Rachin (out) was from really wide and straight and hit (the off stump). That's a really nice ball to bowl for anyone", he said. Luke Ronchi further stated that the MCA stadium's pitch is not offering the spin as much as it was expected, so for New Zealand it would be important to keep it tight against the Indian batsmen. "Both teams could quite easily say at the start of the day, they thought this wicket would turn more than it has so far, but again, it's just about tomorrow for us, build pressure, bowl in some good areas and get that ball (off) variable bounce", Luke Ronchi added. Ronchi said the pitch here at the MCA Stadium is not the one to assure batters that they have settled down. "We saw some balls today really jumped off a length and then some stayed a little bit, they just skidded through a little bit, it's going to be a surface where maybe as the game goes on you're not going to feel like you're actually in", he added. (With PTI Inputs)
24 October,2024 10:14 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentADVERTISEMENT
