India had set a total target of 162 for Australia, which might have been a tricky situation for Australians if the stand-in captain Jasprit Bumrah had been in a position to bowl. However, he faced back pain, which led him to leave the ground on Day 2 and not participate on 3rd Day of the match.

Bumrah was awarded as the Player of the Series honour, which was because his milestone of being the highest wicket-taker in the series, claiming 32 wickets, but this was hardly a compensation for the messy team performance by the Indian players.

Prasidh Krishna (3/65), and Mohammed Siraj (1/69) were not of help to Bumrah, and despite multiple crucial wickets, bowled more than enough bad deliveries for the hosts to win the match in just 27 overs.

Scott Boland (6/45) and Pat Cummins (3/44) cleaned off India’s lower-order for justt 157 runs. If we remove the 61-run knock of Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal’s 22-run knock, the rest of the whole team collectively scored just 72 runs.

Brief Scores:

India’s 1st innings: 185
Australia’s 1st innings: 181
India’s 2nd innings: 157
Australia’s 2nd innings: 162

The post Australia ruthlessly beat India 3-1 in Border-Gavaskar Trophy and secured their spot in the World Test Championship Final appeared first on Cricket Country.

India lost the ICC World Test Championship title for the second time after reaching the finals. Australia defeated India by 209 runs at The Oval and made history by becoming the first-ever team to clinch all major ICC trophies. After dominating India over the course of five days Australia secured their maiden World Test Championship 2023 title on Sunday at the Oval, London. India was bundled out at 234 in 63.3 overs while chasing 444, with Mohammad Shami the last player standing with a score of 13(8)*.
“Let’s be realistic here. You’re not going to get those 20 days. And if that’s the case then you’ve got to miss IPL,” Shastri said to Star Sports as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

“So, the choice is yours and it’s up to the establishment as well. I’m sure the BCCI will review this in the future, if a World Test Championship [final] is going to come after an IPL every time in the month of June, then for that season, if your team qualifies for the final, there should be certain clauses put to franchises,” he further added.

The Indian skipper had made the case that “ideal preparation,” which they had when they were visiting England. They had started preparing over three weeks before the Test series in 2021, and that had benefited them, leading to India taking a 2-1 lead until Covid-19 caused the delay of the final Test.

“Yeah, ideally, we would want to have a good time in hand to prepare, give enough rest to the bowlers,” Rohit said at the post-match press conference.
“Sometimes, it can be tough because playing T20 cricket, you completely bowl different lengths, different lines, and a lot of change-ups.

And then Test cricket, obviously, requires a lot of discipline, hitting that area consistently and challenging the batsmen – but again, you know [Mohammed] Shami, [Mohammed] Siraj, Umesh [Yadav] they all are experienced, they obviously know how to prepare themselves and get ready for a game like this. But in an ideal scenario, yes, I would prefer it if we have 20-25 days to prepare for a game like this,” Rohit had said.

(With Inputs ANI)

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In a recent interaction with the ICC, Australia captain Pat Cummins was asked about his favourite ICC trophy that the Baggy Greens won. In response, he said that even though test matches are their favourite format but picking up a trophy will be like ‘trying to pick your favourite kid’.

They all feel a little bit different – we were just talking about that,” Cummins said.

“No doubt Test matches for us are our favourite format; it’s the biggest challenge I think in every way. This competition, pitting us up against everyone in the world, it’s got to be right up there. I don’t know, it’s probably like trying to pick your favourite kid, but it’s satisfying” he further added.

Cummins Lauds Travid Head For Aussie Domination Over India

On Day one of the five-day Test match, Travis Head (163) and Steve Smith (121) trashed India’s bowling unit and helped Australia score 469 in the first innings. For his inning, Travis Head won the Man of the Match Award in the WTC final. Pat Cummins lauded Travis and said because of him, the team left day one on top of the game.

“We made the most of the toss. We were certainly going to have a bowl. The way Travis and Smith played it gave us all a little bit of comfort after a pretty nervy morning. Travis has been brilliant throughout this whole campaign. He is always putting pressure back on the bowlers. We left Day One on top of the game, mainly down to those two guys,” said Cummins in the post-match presentation ceremony.

The post “It’s Like Picking Your Favourite Kid”: Pat Cummins Jokes On Choosing Between ICC World Titles appeared first on Cricket Country.

Australia Accused Of Ball-Tempering In WTC Final vs India

Meanwhile, former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali has made a shocking comment on India’s dismissals and accused Australia of ball-tampering. While Basit did not present any evidence for the same, he came up with a theory of his own.

“No batter talked about what’s happening with the ball. The biggest example is two batters got out while leaving the ball. I know that usually there is no evidence, but I’ll give you one today. During the 73rd or 74th over, the shiny part of the ball was outside and Smith was batting as the ball came in.

In England, when the shiny part is on the outside, the ball comes back in. It’s not called reverse swing. Reverse swing is when the shine is inside and the ball also comes back in. If you look at the ball by Mitchell Starc that got Kohli, the shiny part was outside. The ball went in with the shine. The batters were trying to hit it on the off side, but the ball went on the on side,” Basit told in his Youtube channel.

Basit Ali also slammed the umpires for overlooking the events. “The umpires went blind. India is not my team, but I watch the sport with my spectacles on. They clearly tampered with the ball. Even Cameron Green’s wicket of Cheteshwar Pujara, the shine was inside. I’m stunned no one saw it. BCCI is said to be the biggest board in the world, how can they not see it?”

The post Pat Cummins’ Australia Accused Of Ball-Tempering During WTC Final vs India At Kennington Oval appeared first on Cricket Country.

After his batters, Australian bowlers made full use of fuller deliveries and bounce on the Oval track to good effect to leave India on 151/5 in 38 overs at stumps. India had a horrible start as they lost four wickets inside 18.2 overs. Former India captain Virat Kohli was expected to continue his red-hot IPL 2023 form, but he couldn’t manage to save India’s from suffering a collapse.

Kohli managed to score just 14 runs from 31 balls. Australian star bowler Mitchell Starc bowled a short ball outside off stump, and when Kohli tried to play the ball, he got out after Smith caught the ball.

Right when Kohli got out, his wife, Bollywood actor Anushka Sharma, who was in the stands, seemed disappointed. A video of her reaction is going viral all over the internet.

Here is the video: 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

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Anushka Sharma and others can’t believe that wicket of Virat Kohli. A pin drop silence at the oval.#INDvAUS #WTCFinal2023 pic.twitter.com/sk01j6DUvV

— Akshat (@AkshatOM10) June 8, 2023

After Kohli got dismissed, star Indian all-rounder Ravidra Jadeja came to bat at No. 6. He managed to score 48 runs in 51 balls, which included seven fours and one six, but was sent back to the dugout by Nathan Lyon.

Rahane and KS Bharat, who took blows on elbow and chest, remained not out on 29 and 5 respectively to take India past 150 at stumps, on another day of Australian domination.

The post Anushka Sharma Reaction After Virat Kohli’s Wicket Goes Viral – WATCH appeared first on Cricket Country.

India left out veteran offspinner Ravichandran Ashwin and preferred a four-pronged pace attack to go with left-arm spin bowling allrounder Ravindra Jadeja as they chose to bowl under overcast conditions.

The decision backfired as Steve Smith (95 batting) and Travis Head (146 batting) shared an unbroken 251-run partnership to put Australia in a commanding 327/3 heading into day two.

“From what came out today, the mindset was to field if they won the toss, hence the choices in the bowling department — four seamers one spinner,” Shastri told ICC after the end of the opening day’s play on Wednesday.

“If the mindset was positive you’d want to bat, rough it out in the first session and see if you can put 250 on board. Don’t think too big 250-260 and if the conditions got better and you saw the first session through, you could have got more,” he added.

India had Australia at 73/2 at lunch on day one but after the skies cleared up it became a batting beauty as Smith and Head swung the momentum in their favour.

Shastri further said Australia are in a prime position and it’s up to Pat Cummins and his men to let India back into the marquee contest.

“I think Australia are in a prime position now. It’s up to them to allow India back into the game, they batted beautifully, especially in the first session of play and that really set things up,” Shastri said.

The former India all-rounder feels the only way India can claw their way back into the contest is by making optimum use of the new ball on Thursday and taking wickets.

“You have to think wickets, if you wait for things to happen this game is gone. Australia will be another 200 runs by tea time tomorrow if not more. So think wickets try and make the second new ball count in the first 45 minutes of play.”.

“You saw what you did with Head — better lines, into the body, lot of short stuff and take it from there and if you strike early you take it from there.”.

However, Shastri opined that if India don’t manage to get quick wickets in the morning session on day two the game will fly out of their hands.

“Winning will become difficult. If you lose that session in the morning then you can forget about winning.

“Australia can bat India out of the contest by even wanting to bat two and a half sessions tomorrow with the way they are going they could be 600 plus,” Shastri added.

The post India Lacked Positive Mindset By Opting To Field: Ravi Shastri Slams Rohit Sharma’s Decision At Toss appeared first on Cricket Country.

India made a disastrous start as they lost their first three wickets with just 16 runs on the board while chasing 189 runs target. With the ball swinging and nipping around, the Indian batters found the going tough and the Australian bowlers made their life difficult by not giving them any chances.

Two middle-order partnerships then revived India — both involving Rahul, who has been under pressure recently due to his poor form, losing his vice-captaincy. He became the star of the day for India and produced a knock of superb quality. He started cautiously initially, getting used to the swing as the Aussie bowlers led by Starc threatened to being an early end to the Indian innings.

Rahul completed his half-century in 71 deliveries, opening up later by hammering Adam Zampa for a four and a six in the 36th over. He had reprieves when a couple of outside edges did not carry and was also beaten on a few occasions but kept building his innings, hitting four boundaries in his fifty. He celebrated it by hitting two fours and a six but raised most of his runs through singles.

KL Rahul has shut down all criticism after his splendid knock. Team India’s former head coach Ravi Shastri even backed his spot in the Indian playing 11 for WTC Final.

“He has really done well to keep the selectors interested ahead of the WTC final,” Shastri said on commentary during the first ODI.

“Two things, one for the ODI series when Rohit Sharma returns and the other for the WTC final. India can bolster their batting if Rahul can keep wickets. Rahul can bat in the middle-order No. 5 or No. 6. In England, you have to generally keep wickets from far behind. You don’t have to keep up to the spinners a lot. He has 3 more ODIs to go before the IPL. He can cement his place in Indian team,” he added.

(with inputs from IANS)

The post Ravi Shastri Bats For KL Rahul In India’s WTC Final Playing XI, Says ‘He Can Cement His Place…’ appeared first on Cricket Country.

Although India is the prime favourite to play against the Aussies in the WTC final, there are still chances that Sri Lanka could shatter India’s hope of grabbing the spot in the final.

As India is playing the last test match of the 4-match series against Australia, Sri Lanka is playing New Zealand in the 1st test of the 2-match series in New Zealand.

Many factors will determine India’s entry into the WTC final. A win in the 4th Test will confirm the spot for Rohit and Co in the WTC finals. If India wins, there will be no chance for the Lankan side even if they win both Test matches against New Zealand. But a draw or loss for India will bring Sri Lanka back into the fight.

The path is difficult for the Lankan side as they had to win both test matches against New Zealand to confirm their berth for the WTC final. Failing to do so will make the Indian side go through and clash with Australia for the World Test Championship title at The Oval, London from 7 to 11 June.

Australia batted remarkably well on Day 1 against India. The Aussies scored 255 runs for the loss of 4 wickets with Usman Khawaja and Cameron Green not out on 104 and 49, respectively.

On the other hand, Sri Lanka scored 305-6 at the time of stumps. Kusal Mendis led from the front for the Lankans and scored 87 runs. Angelo Mathews also contributed 47 runs.

The post WTC Final: How Sri Lanka Can Shatter India’s Qualification Hopes For Summit Clash appeared first on Cricket Country.

Meanwhile, India skipper Virat Kohli (812 points) remains static at the fourth position while opener Rohit Sharma (759 points) has moved up to the sixth spot. India’s young wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant (752 points) is at the seventh position. Williamson, who conceded the top spot to Smith two weeks ago, is back in the position he had first grabbed in November 2015 during a series against Australia.

Ross Taylor, who scored an unbeaten 47 and partnered in an unbroken 96-run stand with Williamson, has advanced three places to 14th position while left-hander Devon Conway has gained 18 slots to reach 42nd place after top-scoring with 52 in the first innings. Australia’s run-machine Marnus Labuschagne (878 points) and England Test captain Joe Root (797 points) are at the third and fifth spots respectively in ICC Test Batsmen Rankings.

New Zealand’s fast bowlers too have gained after thriving in the seaming conditions with a Player of the Match Kyle Jamieson continuing the stupendous start to his Test career.

⭐️️ Devon Conway moves up 18 slots

⭐️️ Kyle Jamieson reaches career-best position

The two New Zealand stars make massive gains in the @MRFWorldwide ICC Men’s Test Player Rankings 🌟

Full list: https://t.co/OMjjVx5Mgf pic.twitter.com/B3fEuFFBDZ

ICC (@ICC) June 30, 2021

Jamieson’s figures of five for 31 and two for 30 have pushed him up to a career-best 13th position, not surprising since no bowler has taken more Test wickets at a better average than him since 1900.

Left-armer Trent Boult’s figures of two for 48 and three for 39 have lifted him two places to 11th position while for India, vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane’s progress of three places to 13th position after scores of 49 and 15, was the only notable gain.

Ravindra Jadeja has slipped behind West Indian Jason Holder to the second position after a week at the top of the rankings for all-rounders.

In the T20 Rankings, West Indies’ left-handed opener Evin Lewis has moved from 13th to 10th position after a player of the match effort of 71 off 35 balls in the first of the two matches of their ongoing five-match series that counted for this week’s rankings.

Left-arm spinner Fabian Allen has progressed 23 places to 20th position.

South Africa’s Quinton de Kock (up one place to 22nd), Reeza Hendricks (up three places to 24th) and Temba Bavuma (up 24 places to 64th) are among the others to move up.

England’s 3-0 series win over Sri Lanka, which should come as a morale booster for the 50-over World champions ahead of this year’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, sees several of their players move up too.

Chris Jordan (up five places to 11th), Mark Wood (up 11 places to 14th), Sam Curran (up 62 places to 39th) and David Willey (up 23 places to 51st) have progressed in the bowlers’ list while for Sri Lanka, Wanindu Hasaranga has moved up five places to fifth and Dushmantha Chameera 41 places to 43rd.

The post ICC Test Rankings 2021: Kane Williamson Reclaims Top Spot in Batsmen’s Tally, Virat Kohli Remains Fourth; Kyle Jamieson Attains Career-Best Position appeared first on Cricket Country.

Jamieson, who was the Man of the Match for his seven wickets in the final, felt nervous while watching the action from the dressing room. “It was probably the toughest period of cricket I’ve been a part of, in terms of watching,” Jamieson told Country Sport Breakfast on Gold AM.

“We were sitting inside and actually watching on TV. There was a bit of a delay but it seemed like every ball the Indian crowd was up and about and I was like ‘jeez it’s a wicket’ or something like that, but it turned out it was just a block or a single.”

Eventually, captain Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor got the team home rather comfortably while chasing 139 for a win.

“It was pretty tough to watch. I actually tried to at times to go to the bathroom where there was no noise to just get away from it for a while because it was quite nerve-racking.

“But it was nice to have Kane and Ross out there, two of our greatest ever batters really to calm the nerves and finish the job the way they did,” said the lanky pacer.

Jamieson did not get enough time to celebrated as he was back in the field with 48 hours of the final, this time for his county side Surrey. “It was a quick turnaround. I think within 48 hours I was back on the park playing T20 for Surrey. It’s kind of the life we live a little bit. But it’s nice to stay on and to experience county cricket for the next few weeks.

“It was certainly tough to say goodbye to those guys (NZ teammates). Coming off a high of what we just experienced and that moment we all enjoyed together, to go and say goodbye was quite tough.”

Jamieson had India and his skipper at Royal Challengers Bangalore, Royal Challengers Bangalore, dismissed twice in the final. The pacer is feeling a little bit homesick after being away for close to three months.

“It’s been about three months and will be about just over four months by the time I get out of MIQ (managed isolation and quarantine). It’s been a long time and I’ve certainly loved my time at home. So it’s been tough at times but I guess it’s been the environment we’re in.

“Look, I’m pretty fortunate to be able to still have our jobs and to be able to go around the world and work. I’m pretty grateful for that but I’m looking forward to getting home in a few weeks’ time.”

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