At stumps, England stood at 290/5, trailing by 155 runs, with Ben Stokes (39) and Ben Foakes (6) unbeaten at the crease.
Published Date – 17 February 2024, 12:10 PM
Rajkot: With Jasprit Bumrah and Kuldeep Yadav striking early on Day 3 Indian bowlers clawed back after a sensational 153 by Ben Duckett left hosts shell-shocked in the ongoing third Test at Niranjan Shah Stadium on Saturday.
At stumps, England’s score read 290/5 -trail by 155 runs- with Ben Stokes (39) and Ben Foakes (6) standing unbeaten at the crease.
Starting day 3, Jasprit Bumrah drew first blood on day 3 as he removed Joe Root for 18 runs, breaking a 42(60) partnership. Root tried to play a scoop shot and steal a boundary. However, the shot lacked timing as Yashasvi Jaiswal, who was placed at the slip, took a fantastic catch.
Kuldeep Yadav provided Team India with another breakthrough as he dismissed Jonny Bairstow for a duck. Despite losing two wickets in quick succession, England kept the momentum on their side. Duckett took a single off Kuldeep Yadav’s delivery and brought up his 150. He took 139 balls to reach the marvellous feat.
Duckett’s all-time classic innings came to an end as he was dismissed for 153. Kuldeep provided Team India with a massive wicket, dismissing Duckett, who tried to play a shot into the cover for a boundary but Shubman Gill intercepted and took a brilliant catch.
After the dismissal of Duckett, the onus lay on the shoulders of Ben Stokes to take England ahead in the game and the captain kept the scoreboard ticking.
The duo of Stokes and Ben Foakes rotated the strike brilliantly, not allowing the Indian bowlers to settle down while whacking the loose balls on offer.
The English pair remained unbeaten as the visitors ended the first session at 290/5 with Stokes (39) and Ben Foakes (6) at the crease.
Earlier at Stumps on Day 2, England were sitting pretty at 207/2, going at a run-a-ball rate and trailing India by just 238 runs.
Brief Score: England 290/5 (Ben Duckett 153, Ben Stokes 39*, Kuldeep Yadav 2-77) vs India 445 in 130.5 overs (Rohit Sharma 131, Ravindra Jadeja 112, Mark Wood 4/114).
The World No. 2 faced a challenging one-hour opening set but dominated the tie-break, quickly gaining a 6/0 lead and securing the set shortly after.
Published Date – 17 February 2024, 10:51 AM
Buenos Aires: Top seed Carlos Alcaraz weathered Andrea Vavassori’s furious first set before rediscovering his best form in the second, defeating the Italian 7-6(1), 6-1 to advance to the semifinals of the Argentina Open, where he is now two victories away from defending his championship.
The World No. 2 was trapped in a one-hour opening set before delivering a flawless tie-break performance, surging to a 6/0 lead and then securing a one-set lead two points later. The Spaniard capitalized on his momentum, breaking Vavassori’s serve in his first two service games in the second set before securing a semi-final spot after one hour and forty minutes.
“I think in the first set he played such a high level. It was really tough to return his serve and challenging conditions with the wind. It was tough. But I think I played better in the second set. I think his level went down a bit, with his serve as well and I put some returns in, took my chances and I think that was the difference,” Alcaraz said of Vavassori as quoted by ATP.
Alcaraz used a variety of strategies, frequently making his way forward and executing precise drop shots to defeat the Italian qualifier. Alcaraz, a two-time major winner, won 71% of his second-serve points to Vavassori’s 48 per cent, extending his Buenos Aires victory run to six. Next, Alcaraz will face Nicolas Jarry, the third seed.
Jarry of Chile progressed when Tomas Martin Etcheverry retired due to a right leg injury. Jarry lost the first set 4-6 but evened the match by winning the second set 7-5 after Etcheverry was unable to continue. In the bottom half of the draw, local favorites Federico Coria and Facundo Diaz Acosta maintained their dream week. Coria, 31, beat fifth seed Sebastian Baez 6-1, 6-4, while wild card Diaz Acosta defeated Dusan Lajovic 6-4, 6-3.
At the time of his passing, Gaekwad, the former India Test captain and the nation’s oldest living Test cricketer, died at the age of 95.
Updated On – 17 February 2024, 10:24 AM
Rajkot: The Indian players taking the field against England in the ongoing Third Test are sporting black armbands as a mark of respect for Dattajirao Gaekwad, former India captain and oldest Test cricketer who passed away on Tuesday.
Gaekwad, who was the former India Test captain and the country’s oldest living Test cricketer at the time of his passing died at the age of 95. He played in 11 Tests and led the team during India’s tour of England in 1959. Under his captaincy, Baroda also won the Ranji Trophy in the 1957-58 season, beating Services in the final.
#TeamIndia will be wearing black arm bands in memory of Dattajirao Gaekwad, former India captain and India’s oldest Test cricketer who passed away recently.#INDvENG | @IDFCFIRSTBank
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Saturday took to X and announced that Team India will be wearing black armbands in memory of Dattajirao Gaekwad, former India captain and India’s oldest Test cricketer who passed away recently.
Meanwhile, India will head into the third day of the Test against England in Rajkot without star spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who withdrew from the ongoing third Test against England with immediate effect due to a family medical emergency.
On Day 2, Ashwin took Zak Crawley’s wicket to reach 500 wickets in Tests. He became the ninth Test bowler in history to surpass 500 wickets, and the only Indian bowler to do so after Anil Kumble.
Day 2 concluded with England swiftly advancing to 207/2 at an almost run-a-ball rate, narrowing the gap to just 238 runs behind India’s first-innings total.
Mehdipour scored the solitary goal of the match with a powerful shot just two minutes into the second half in Tehran’s Azadi Stadium.
Esteghlal cemented their place in top with 35 points, four points ahead of Sepahan.
On Thursday, Aluminum football team edged past Persepolis 1-0 in Arak.
Amir Nouri found the back of the net in the 75th minute.
In Isfahan, Malavan defeated Zob Ahan 1-0, Paykan and Nassaji shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw in Tehran, Shams Azar and Esteghlal Khuzestan played out a goalless draw in Qazvin and Mes were held by Havadar to a 0-0 draw in Rafsanjan.
Mehdipour scored the solitary goal of the match with a powerful shot just two minutes into the second half in Tehran’s Azadi Stadium.
Esteghlal cemented their place in top with 35 points, four points ahead of Sepahan.
On Thursday, Aluminum football team edged past Persepolis 1-0 in Arak.
Amir Nouri found the back of the net in the 75th minute.
In Isfahan, Malavan defeated Zob Ahan 1-0, Paykan and Nassaji shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw in Tehran, Shams Azar and Esteghlal Khuzestan played out a goalless draw in Qazvin and Mes were held by Havadar to a 0-0 draw in Rafsanjan.
With back-to-back losses and an exodus of players, the young Hyderabad side still determined to ignite the lost spark as their head coach Thangboi Singto has a single word to welcome the team from Kolkata
Published Date – 16 February 2024, 09:11 PM
Hyderabad: The Kalinga Super Cup winners East Bengal are in town to face Hyderabad FC in the Indian Super League clash in GMC Balayogi Stadium on Saturday.
With back-to-back losses and an exodus of players, the young Hyderabad side still determined to ignite the lost spark as their head coach Thangboi Singto has a single word to welcome the team from Kolkata – ‘chharbona’ a Bengali word which translates to ‘won’t let go,’ embodying the team’s commitment to fighting and not giving up easily when they lock horns against The Red and Gold Brigade.
“Another tough challenge lies ahead against the struggling East Bengal side who at the moment are grappling injuries and a couple of losses. But they are a formidable side and we are ready,” the HFC head coach said.
The visitors come into the game with many crucial players missing through injuries or serving suspensions which resulted in the team’s two straight losses. They have recently signed defender Alexsander Pantic to replace Jose Antonio Pardo, who departed after he joined the team’s long injury list.
On the other hand, HFC will be without the services of striker Aaren D’Silva who is suffering a knee injury. Joao Victor is expected to lead the team having missed the last game against Mohun Bagan Super Giant with an injury.
East Bengal currently find themselves at the 10th place in the standings with 12 points and cannot afford further slip in the race for a place in playoffs. The absence of a few crucial players for the game at Gachibowli makes it tricky. A bottom side Hyderabad, whose season is already over, can hurt the Super Cup champions’ situation in the league.
The former champions are creating decent chances and expected to do the same against an injury-hit East Bengal side. But the question remains: can they keep things tight at the back?
With the return of EBFC skipper and forward Cleiton Silva from suspension, the home side’s backline is gearing up for the challenge to which 20-year-old defender Sajad Parray and coach Singto stressed the team has set the target to keep a clean sheet.
The Karimnagar archer, Kishan got the eligibility to take part in the international event by winning a bronze medal in the 6th National Masters Games Goa-2024 held in Goa from February 8 to 13
Published Date – 16 February 2024, 08:25 PM
Archery player Kuna Kishan receiving certificate from organizers in Goa.
Karimnagar: An archery player from Karimnagar town, Kuna Kishan, has been selected for the 2024 Pan-America Masters Games scheduled to be held in Cleveland, Ohio, USA, from July 12 to 21. The International Master Games Association is organizing the event.
Kishan got the eligibility to take part in the international event by winning a bronze medal in the 6th National Masters Games Goa-2024 held in Goa from February 8 to 13.
Kishan, who is working as mechanic in Karimnagar RTC zonal workshop, said he was happy on being selected for the international event and expressed confidence of winning a medal.
Kishan, who used to take his children to the Police Training Centre for archery coaching, got attracted towards the game and started practising archery in 2018. He has won a number of medals by participating in State and national level competitions.
It took Ashwin a mere 98 Test matches to accomplish this remarkable feat.
Updated On – 16 February 2024, 06:32 PM
Hyderabad: Champion bowler Ravichandran Ashwin reached a significant milestone in his career, securing 500 Test wickets with the dismissal of England opener Zak Crawley.
This achievement places him among the elite in cricket history. Ashwin becomes only the second Indian bowler to achieve this feat, following Anil Kumble‘s footsteps.
In the realm of Test cricket, he is now the ninth bowler to reach the illustrious 500-wicket mark. Impressively, Ashwin’s pace in reaching this milestone is remarkable, standing as the second-fastest bowler in history, just behind Muttiah Muralitharan.
It took Ashwin a mere 98 Test matches to accomplish this remarkable feat.
His achievement sparked widespread celebrations among cricket enthusiasts, with social media buzzing as fans and fellow cricketers showered him with congratulatory messages.
.@ashwinravi99‘s journey to 500 Test wickets is a masterclass in bowling excellence with relentless hard work and extraordinary talent🤌🏾 One of the finest students of the game joins the elite group. Congratulations Ash!👏🏾#Ashwin#INDvENGpic.twitter.com/7Sw5F6V7Rx
Ashwin dismissed Zak Crawley in the final session to join Anil Kumble as the second Indian, and fifth overall, to take 500 wickets in Test history
Published Date – 16 February 2024, 05:54 PM
Englands Ben Duckett celebrates after scoring a century (100 runs) during the second day of the third Test cricket match between India and England at the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot on February 16, 2024. (Photo by Punit PARANJPE / AFP)
Rajkot: Ben Duckett’s power-packed hundred overshadowed R Ashwin’s monumental feat as England thrived on their belligerent Bazball tactic to reach 207/2 at stumps on day two and put India under pressure in the third Test here on Friday.
Ashwin dismissed Zak Crawley (15) in the final session to join Anil Kumble as the second Indian, and fifth overall, to take 500 wickets in Test history.
But India’s struggles to contain England’s fearless and enterprising batters persisted as Duckett raced to his third Test hundred off only 88 balls.
England have already wiped off a chunk of their first innings deficit and trail India by 238 runs going into day three. India ended up with 445 in their first innings. At one stage, Duckett even flirted briefly with the prospect of breaking Gilbert Jessop’s record from 1902 for fastest Test ton (77 balls) for his country.
Duckett peppered the field with powerful strokes all around the ground, hitting 21 fours and two sixes to reach 133 not out from only 118 balls. Joe Root was at the other end on nine.
Ashwin struck immediately after his introduction into the attack to send Crawley packing, with the batter gift-wrapping his wicket to help the Indian spinner complete his milestone.
On an innocuous delivery from around the wicket, Crawley managed a connection that ballooned towards Rajat Patidar at short fine leg.
Patidar only had to make a few paces on his left to grab the ball over his shoulder as each of Ashwin’s teammates rushed to celebrate the feat.
The diminutive England opener Duckett, who looked a tad tentative outside the off-stump before the tea break, came out all guns blazing to bring up his first fifty of the tour, in just 39 balls with 11 hits to the fence.
The introduction of spin did slow down Duckett’s pace for a short while, but he hit the top gear quickly to keep the Indian bowlers under pressure.
A pivotal moment came in the 21st over from Bumrah in his second spell with the Indian spearhead nailing a perfect yorker.
With his front foot out of the way, it appeared on the first instance that the ball crashed into the wickets.
However, umpire Kumar Dharmasena was not as convinced as the bowler got his captain to ask for DRS intervention.
The replays showed Duckett had done incredibly well to connect with the ferocious yorker with the bottom of his bat.
Each of the three DRS reviews per innings would weigh in gold if the pitch continues to be as placid as it has been for the first two days, but this was a review which India would not have mind losing.
India took the second DRS against Ollie Pope when Mohammed Siraj, deployed on short-ball tactics, pitched a fuller one to hit the pads.
Umpire Joel Wilson was unmoved but he had to overturn his appeal with the replays confirming that the ball was hitting the leg stump, ending Pope’s entertaining 39 off 55 balls (5 fours and 1 six).
Ashwin returned for the final over of the day to have one more crack. His fourth delivery turned sharply away from Duckett after pitching on leg and Rohit Sharma collected a catch believing there was an edge.
However, it culminated with replays showing the ball pitching outside leg and missing the bat completely, with India staring at a long third day in the field with only one DRS appeal left.
Earlier in the day, India’s lower order did a fair job of collecting as many runs as possible before being bowled out for 445.
Debutant Dhruv Jurel (46) missed out on a fifty in his maiden outing. The highlight of his knock was an uppercut off Mark Wood’s 146 kmph delivery, which sent the ball flying into the stands over a helpless slip cordon.
Jurel partnered with Ashwin (39) to add 77 runs for the eighth wicket which pushed India past the 400-run mark while also steadying the ship after centurion Ravindra Jadeja (112) and Kuldeep Yadav (4) fell early.
Bumrah (28) and Siraj (3) did their best in keeping England out on the park for longer with a quick 30-run stand from 42 balls.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Friday issued clarification regarding fraudulent advertisements promising aspiring cricketers admission to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru.
Published Date – 16 February 2024, 03:06 PM
Mumbai: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Friday issued clarification regarding fraudulent advertisements promising aspiring cricketers admission to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru.
“The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has recently come across fraudulent advertisements promising aspiring cricketers admission to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru,” a statement from the board’s secretary Jay Shah read.
The BCCI added that the NCA is “not open to any agency other than the ones mentioned” and that admittance to the Academy is merit-based and restricted to players under contract, players in the targeted category, and cricketers recommended by State Associations.
“The BCCI wishes to clarify that it does not charge any money from cricketers to use its facility. The BCCI has its set of protocols, and entry into the NCA is a merit-based process. The NCA is open to only BCCI’s contracted players, players in the targeted group, and cricketers recommended by State Associations. It is not open to any agency other than the ones mentioned above.
“Cricketers, coaches and the public at large are advised to exercise caution and not fall prey to such fake and fraudulent posts and approach the respective State Associations for guidance,” it added.
