It may not be enough for Australia at the MCG but, in a team beset by batting problems, Shaun Marsh has played a key role in regaining the Ashes

Jarrod Kimber27-Dec-2017Australia lost 7 for 67 at the MCG. They were 4 for 76 in their first innings at the Gabba. In Adelaide, they were out for 138 in the second innings. Only once in the series have more than two batsmen scored higher than 57 in an innings. Peter Handscomb is already gone and Usman Khawaja might miss Sydney.Australia are 3-0 up but there is little doubt their batting remains poor. You can’t walk down the street in Australia for someone telling you how ordinary the English bowling is. They’re dud medium pacers, their spinner is a joke, and Stuart Broad is bowling like he’s older than Jimmy Anderson looks. And yet, Australia aren’t dominating with the bat. They’re winning with the ball, and hanging in with the bat. No one personifies that more than Shaun Marsh.”He shouldn’t be playing.””He’s s***house.””Oh no, why him again?””What are the selectors smoking?”Stuart Binny, Shane Watson, Wahab Riaz. It doesn’t matter the team, there will always be a player who’s continually picked and fans hate it. Sports fans know best; they hate that guy, he’s no good, or only okay when things are good, or bloody lucky. He has pictures of the selectors on his phone, or some other even-more-ludicrous suggestion.This is before the media’s role, the never-ending look for the next bloke who’s out of the team, or the guy who shouldn’t have been in there.Everyone mentions the selectors but, as also happens for player contracts, we somehow blame the player for management mistakes. As if any player will say, “No, I don’t want to play this Test match”, despite dreaming of cricket his whole life, desperately trying to get selected. Now he has been, he should say, “You know what, I reckon I’m not quite good enough, why don’t you pick someone else.”Shaun Marsh drives through the off side•Getty ImagesIt’s not something professional athletes often do, so Shaun Marsh and his three Shield fifties accepted the team’s offer.Marsh was a late bloomer, especially by Australian standards. Most top-quality Australian batsmen are dominating Shield cricket by the time they are 25. In Marsh’s first eight years of Shield cricket he made only four hundreds. That, and his career first-class average of 41, is the first knock on him. He has never, year in, year out, been a Shield star. He was over 30 when he started dominating first-class cricket year after year and, by then, everyone was looking at his Test record.Marsh also had to overcome the alleged nepotism of being the son of Geoff Marsh. Geoff’s career record was not brilliant, four Test hundreds in 50 Tests at 33.18 is hardly inspiring, but he was a battler, who took on the Windies’ quickest quicks. For a while, it seemed every time you turned on the TV Geoff was making an ODI hundred in an era when they were not that common – his conversion rate was the sixth best in ODI cricket during the 80s and 90s. Marsh Snr’s career also spanned almost every generation of Australian cricket due to his coaching: he played with the 70s crew, was an 80s fighter, and coached in the successful 90s. Almost everyone in Australian cricket has some relationship with him. And coming into the Perth Test, Mitch Marsh was the other player in the Australia team everyone ridiculed; often it felt like a failure by one of the sons was a failure by both.Australian batsmen seldom fail at home. Since Shaun Marsh’s career started, Australia top-six players have averaged 53 with the bat at home; Shaun Marsh has gone at 41. In an era when Australian batsmen average far more at home than away, Marsh only averages four more at home. It is at home where Australian players build their legacy; most of the country watch cricket for those couple of magic months when Australia is at its hottest. Marsh’s best work has come in Sri Lanka, where he made two big hundreds. He made a good, albeit lucky, score at the start of the last South Africa tour. Marsh has five Test hundreds in 27 matches, which is fine. But home audiences have only seen two of them.Marsh also has one of those bodies that breaks down. There is a point at which you are unlucky and fans are sympathetic to your plight, and then it tips over and fans see your injuries as your fault. Marsh is ensconced in the second part of that phase. Now when he’s injured, people often can’t remember if it is his back, calf or hamstring, and by this point, they don’t care. It means he has played a Test every year since his 2011 debut, except 2013, despite only playing 27; this is his eighth recall. He’s always around, just not always there.Australians don’t play the moving ball well, and neither does Marsh, despite being an opening batsman for Western Australia. According to CricViz, coming into this series, Marsh averaged 17.60 against balls moving off the seam by more than 0.75 degrees, versus an average of 40.60 against ball that seamed less; and he averaged 11.60 to balls swinging more than 1.50 degrees, but 36.00 to balls that swung less.

Marsh looks pretty, when he is batting well. Batsmen who look like it’s easy are the ones who annoy people the most

Marsh, despite his decent hundreds ratio, has an underwhelming Test average. He has batted in all of the top-six positions, without specialising in any. He was averaging 36 coming into this Ashes, but has pushed it up higher during this series, with a not-out 126 in Adelaide. In 47 innings, he has only two not outs. But his average is low because of how often he’s out early in his innings. A third of his innings don’t cross 5, which places him fourth worst during his career for top-six batsmen with over 20 Tests to their name.And he looks pretty, when he is batting well. It’s as if he’s got the feet up, playing games on his phone. Batsmen who look like it’s easy are the ones who annoy people the most (see Bell, IR).To recap: Marsh didn’t ‘knock down the door’, has to overcome people thinking there is nepotism involved in his selection, is fighting against the canary-yellow memories of his father, has his brother’s failures attached to him, doesn’t cash in at home, can’t play the moving ball, gets injured a lot, bats in every spot, has been in the side on nine occasions, doesn’t get many not outs, does get a lot of scores 5 and under, and makes the game look so damn easy people seem to hate it when he goes out.There’s a reason he is there. Because Australian selectors don’t trust the other options.With Australia 3 for 258, Ian Healy was talking on commentary about how he hoped Australia would be creative with their declaration. If it seemed too early to speculate, it was. But that is how the Channel 9 team commentate, and Steve Smith was batting. From the moment Smith went out, the word declaration evaporated from the commentary vocabulary.There is a gap between Smith and the rest of the world, and that includes Smith and the other Australians. In the last two years, Smith averages 71.31 in Tests; no one else for Australia is above 50. Smith has made 31% of the top six’s runs (22% overall). There is no one following Australian cricket who could argue he isn’t carrying the team’s batting. The second-best average in the last two years is Handscomb, at 47.35, and he’s been dropped. Below him is David Warner, who was struggling in this series until this Test. That rounds out all the players averaging over 44. Usman Khawaja’s figure is 41.58, and his place is under threat. Adam Voges (38.08) retired after being dropped, and Matt Renshaw (36.64) was let go before the series. So that makes three players who have been dropped, one who might be dropped, Warner and Shaun Marsh, whose average in that time is 41.68.Based on his own numbers, Marsh should be in trouble, and if you take out his Ashes scores, he shouldn’t have been picked at all. But Marsh was not picked in isolation, he is part of a team, and he’s there because Australia’s batting is broken. Marsh’s recall wasn’t just because of some okay Shield form; he is also there because Australia had picked a wicketkeeper who hadn’t scored a hundred since One Direction formed, and they spent most of last summer picking the first person to respond to their WhatsApp message. They know Shaun Marsh. They might know what he does wrong, but they also know what he does.2:43

Shaun Marsh is back. Yet again.

The first is how he plays spin, really damn well. He averages 60 against spin, which is enough on its own, but he also makes hundreds against spin outside Australia, so he fills two holes this team has straight away. In this series, he has averaged 94 against spin for once out. With him and Smith being the best-performing batsmen, Moeen Ali has been an endless creepy void in England’s bowling line up.Also, although Marsh doesn’t score that many runs, the few times he has scored they have been important, or tough. Not one, but two hundreds in Sri Lanka; the first-day hundred in South Africa against Steyn and family; the 236-minute 53 to help draw the game on the fifth day in Ranchi; the patient 66 in Bangalore, which was Australia’s top score; and his 51 at the Gabba that came after a collapse and the whole country saying he shouldn’t be in the team. The hundred that followed it in the second Test was the reason Australia won the match, and even more important because Smith and Warner failed to make fifties. And then he made 61 at the MCG.It was a slow, tough innings that ended just as he had the chance to put England out of the game, and also when Australia were without Smith. And it was only 61. But he had to start twice, fighting his problems, and he then had to face the second new ball, which is not his strong point. With England starting their innings so well, it still might not be enough – which seems like the story of Marsh’s career.At his age, with his body and record, he will probably never be a consistent Test match player for Australia. There are too many flaws in his game, and too little time to sort them all out. But in this batting line-up, there will be times when Australia need him. He won’t stand up for all of them, and sometimes he won’t stand up for long enough, but in this series, Marsh has been given three tough jobs, and has accepted each time.Even if his career finishes in another duckathon like he performed against India, or he fades away like his mate Voges, or one of his injuries stops him, he will have this one series, when Australia needed him, and he stood up, hung on, and Australia won the Ashes.

Willow monstered leather like never before with five of the eight teams making their highest-ever scores in week one of the 2017-18 WBBL

Geoff Lemon and Adam Collins13-Dec-2017We’ve got everything. The biggest numbers

The first two Women’s Big Bash League were based on a tight balance between ball and bat. More often than not, six per over was competitive. Not so in the explosive opening weekend to season three, where willow monstered leather like never before. The six fixtures totalled a staggering 2023 runs, with five of the eight teams making their highest-ever scores.The party started at North Sydney, when Sydney Thunder plundered 200 for 6. The highest total in the tournament’s history lasted all of three hours.For 12 months, Ashleigh Gardner has threatened to do something ridiculous if given the leash. When Melbourne Stars invited Sydney Sixers to bat first, the leash was off. Combining raw power with a peerless eye, the No. 3 hit 10 sixes on her way to the fastest WBBL century, donging multiple bombs off the corrugated iron of grandstand roofs.Gardner’s 47-ball ton became 114 from 52 by the time she was out in the 14th over. She might have bettered Thunder’s mark on her own had she batted through the innings. Added to Ellyse Perry’s unbeaten 91 in 49 balls, the score was 242 for 4 when the onslaught was over, higher than anything in either the men’s or women’s Big Bash.Adelaide Strikers also tallied their two best scores, at home, taking Hobart Hurricanes for 183 for 3 then 176 for 6. Suzie Bates, their new captain, was up to her neck in it, tallying a 65-ball century that looked sedate compared to the scenes in Sydney. The bowling was equally glittering, with star leg-spinner Amanda Wellington returning figures of 3 for 9 off four overs in one game.Perhaps the South Australian franchise finally have their act together, after finishing last in both campaigns so far. The news is less positive for Stars and Hurricanes, beaten badly in both their games and a long way from sharing in the boom. Don’t be surprised if recession follows.The fastest fifties

When you have teams breaking records willy nilly, it’s logical that individual ones would be part of it. Those fell thick and fast too. Gardner unsurprisingly set the fastest WBBL fifty on her way to her hundred, getting there in 22 balls. But in the chase, South Africa’s Lizelle Lee briefly gave the Stars hope of an impossible result, matching Gardner’s record for fifty before eventually falling for a 36-ball 64.But neither of those would likely have been the record, had Nicola Carey got another ball or two to face. The diminutive seamer, picked in the first two seasons for her bowling, flayed ball after ball to the boundary in Thunder’s opening innings. With two balls left in the innings, she did the team thing to take every run available and lost the strike. The end result? A knock of 47 not out from just 17 balls.Getty ImagesThe biggest crowds

The burst at the batting crease was match by an eruption in onlookers. Close to 9000 people came through the gates at North Sydney Oval for the four games there, comfortably eclipsing the substantial Women’s Ashes attendances at the venue earlier this season.When Gardner was lighting it up, televisions were switched on around the nation. At its peak, the audience reached a massive 629,000 on free-to-air broadcaster Network Ten. Taken as a whole, television audiences over the weekend were 59 per cent up on the average of last year. Proof once again that if you screen it, they will stay at home.The worst mistakes?

Of all the people watching television, it turned out the third umpire was paying least attention. Jess Duffin, who has played 117 games for Australia earlier in her career under her maiden name of Jess Cameron, was on fire for the Renegades against Thunder. But what could have been an all-time classic win was derailed by a shocker of a decision.Chasing 200 set up by Carey, Renegade openers Sophie Molineux and Chamari Atapattu battered 67 between them to get things moving. Enter Duffin: by the time she’d laced the boundaries for 81 from 46 balls, Melbourne needed 28 off 17 balls.At that point, Duffin reverse-swept Bates, and Lisa Griffith at short third man dived forward to catch. The fielder’s appeal was unconvinced, and replays clearly showed that while there may have been a finger under the ball, there was no doubt it touched the ground as the catcher reeled it in.The fielders went back to their marks, the batter prepared to resume, and then the big screen flashed up “OUT!” A mystifying decision, as wrong as one can be, and one that let Thunder close out a game that could have had a grandstand finish. We’re still mad.And we’ve got more to come.

The WBBL carnival hits four capitals cities in the week ahead, starting on Friday December 15 when the Heat host Scorchers in a replay of last year’s semi-final. Back then, Perth bolted it in by nine wickets, so the Brisbane side will require little incentive to turn the tables.In western Sydney, Thunder take on Stars on Saturday before meeting their crosstown rivals for the first time this season on the opening night of the Men’s Big Bash on Tuesday.Over the weekend in Adelaide, the Strikers have a chance to consolidate at home against Renegades, while Hurricanes need to arrest their dreadful start back home in Hobart against the rampaging Sixers on Sunday.

After getting trolled on social media, being criticised over picking too many 30-plus players, losing out on home advantage and more, CSK have made it to yet another IPL final

Deivarayan Muthu26-May-20181:05

CSK’s journey studded with individual brilliance

First they were trolled on social media for picking a squad with an average age of 33 after the first day of the auction. Then they surprised everyone by scooping eight uncapped players on the second day. Then they had their home advantage snatched away. Then their slow-moving legs came into the spotlight. Two of their key players – Mitchell Santner and Kedar Jadhav – were then sidelined from the tournament. How did Chennai Super Kings even make the final of IPL 2018? ESPNcricinfo looks at the key factors behind their rather unexpected surge this season.Dad’s Army, really?Having picked 11 players over 30 in their roster, fielding was always going to be a bugbear for CSK. In their first match of the season against Mumbai Indians, they posted Mark Wood at backward point and later in the qualifier they had Harbhajan Singh at that position. CSK’s ground fielding was full of bloopers, but they have tried to cover up for that with their catching. Having taken 82.7% of catches in the league stage, CSK are among the best catching sides this season. Only Mumbai have fared better.

They’re 35-36, not 55-56. A massive amount has been made of it. I’m here to win the competition for the franchise. And that’s why we value experience because we think it gives us the best chance… Dwayne Bravo, Shane Watson and MS Dhoni all these guys still have a lot of cricket left to playStephen Fleming on CSK’s ageing squad

CSK have managed to hang on to the pressure catches. For example, when Sunrisers Hyderabad needed 33 off 13 balls in Hyderabad, CSK’s gun fielder Ravindra Jadeja swooped in from long-on, dived forward, and dismissed Kane Williamson for 84 to tilt the match in CSK’s favour. More recently in the qualifier, Dwayne Bravo tumbled in his follow through to pluck a spectacular return catch and remove Yusuf Pathan. And the experienced players have also rolled out clutch performances with the bat.Rayudu’s hot streak
Setting the pace at the top: check. Anchoring the innings in the middle: check. Teeing off at the end: check. Having his CSK team-mate Wood and the Durham dressing room singing, “I just can’t get enough of Du Du Du Du Du Du…Ambati Rayudu”: check.Do you remember that Rayudu was Suresh Raina’s captain in the Under-19 World Cup in 2004? Raina then went on to play two senior World Cups and established himself as CSK’s MVP. Fourteen years later, Rayudu has become the new MVP for the franchise with his most prolific IPL season: 586 runs in 15 innings at a strike rate of 153. What has been special about Rayudu is that he has converted even good balls into boundary balls with his nifty footwork. He has stepped down the track to 50 balls this season and has hit 133 runs without being dismissed.

I rate him very highly as he can play fast bowlers and spinners very well. He is someone who doesn’t look like a big hitter but almost clears the field every time he plays the big shot.MS Dhoni endorses Ambati Rayudu’s big hitting

Watson’s second wind
In Shane Watson’s own words: “2017 was his worst IPL” and he wasn’t quite sure if he would be back in 2018. Sure, he found some form in the Big Bash League (331 runs in 10 innings at a strike rate of 139.07) and the subsequent Pakistan Super League (319 runs in 10 innings at a strike rate of 135.16), but there were still questions over whether he still had it. Stephen Fleming, however, relentlessly kept bidding for the Australian allrounder at the auction and ultimately bought him for four times his base price of INR 1 crore. And Watson has repaid the faith, featuring in all but one match for CSK this season, scoring 438 runs in 14 innings at a strike rate of 145.03. He had single-handedly won the game for CSK against his former franchise Rajasthan Royals in Pune with a 51-ball century.Signs of vintage Dhoni?
In 2017, MS Dhoni had a dot-ball percentage of 46.4; this season it has dropped to 36.4. More importantly, he’s the top-scorer in the death overs this season with 297 runs off 148 balls, including 24 sixes and 16 fours, at an average of nearly 100. The power game that seemed to be fading resurfaced against Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, where Dhoni helped CSK pillage 71 off the last five overs. Having made 455 runs in 15 innings at a strike rate of 150.66, Dhoni is now just seven runs away from his most prolific IPL season.

We haven’t seen it [Dhoni at his best] as much, the gaps between [such] innings have been bigger, but in this IPL his batting has been excellent, and the innings was one of the best ones I’ve ever seen.Fleming on Dhoni’s unbeaten 70 off 34 balls in Bengaluru

Chahar: swinging ’em with ball and bat
Who’d have thought Deepak Chahar would start the season ahead of an India international in Shardul Thakur? Who’d have thought Chahar would become Dhoni’s go-to bowler? Who’d have thought Chahar would be the second-highest wicket-taker in Powerplays with 10 wickets at an economy rate of 7.33? If not for a hamstring injury, Chahar could have caught up with Umesh Yadav’s chart-topping tally of 14 wickets in the first six overs. Who’d have thought Chahar’s batting contribution would help CSK secure a top-two finish in the league phase?With his ability to swing the ball both ways and often get it to skid off the pitch, Chahar has grown to become the leader of the CSK pack. His smooth swings with the bat, meanwhile, have added more depth to a line-up that is yet to be bowled out this season.

Deepak Chahar is not a slogger like most think. He is a talented batsman capable of surprising the best of the bowlers in the #IPL18.Chahar’s first Ranji Trophy captain Hrishikesh Kanitkar on his batting, on Twitter

‘The luxury spot’
At the auction, CSK packed their side with spin and were ready to unleash them at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. Their plans were later thwarted when they were forced to shift base to the MCA Stadium in Pune, which does not offer as much assistance to spin. So, one spot became a “luxury”, as Dhoni puts it.

There is a luxury spot in this team, sometimes on good day a bowler bowls three overs and if possible four, sometimes he doesn’t bowl. We have Bravo at the end [overs] but he doesn’t need to bowl four overs always as wellDhoni on the ‘luxury spot’

Ravindra Jadeja had bowled just 24 balls in CSK’s first four games put together. Some even joked that he was playing as a specialist fielder. Karn Sharma did not bowl against Delhi Daredevils in Pune and bowled only one over each against Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight Riders. In CSK’s most recent game against Sunrisers, Harbhajan did not bowl a ball at the Wankhade Stadium. A surfeit of options offered CSK a safety net and allowed them to identify their best combination ahead of the playoffs.

Ashish Nehra analyses India’s fast bowling attack ahead of the Test series in England

Interview by Nagraj Gollapudi29-Jul-20183:18

Ashish Nehra breaks down India’s seam attack in England

The main reason for Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri’s belief that India can be a dominant side overseas is their bowling attack, which took 20 wickets in each of the three Tests on the tour of South Africa in January. The fast bowlers combined to take 50 of those 60 wickets, and this, more than anything, gives India hope that they can compete against England as well when the five-match Test series begins next week. Former India fast bowler Ashish Nehra, who played 17 Tests, including two in England, and now works as a bowling coach, runs the rule over India’s quick men.Ishant Sharma – “Needs to pitch it up”
Strengths The strongest point is his physical fitness. That’s how he has managed to play for so long. Although he does not take too many wickets, as a captain I would want him in my team because he can bowl long spells. This summer, the way the weather is in England, the wickets are not swinging much. He can give you 22-23 overs a day, and his long spells will help the other two [fast] bowlers. He is a hit-the-deck bowler. Although he might come on one-change, he is experienced. He has played seven Tests in England. For him to be fit will be very important for India.Lengths He is a back-of-a-length bowler. People might feel that he does not bowl the ideal length for Test cricket, but I’m sure he can alter his length a little bit. I am not asking him to change his bowling or do something different – just a little bit of alteration will work for him. He puts pressure, he doesn’t give runs. He has become more accurate in the last year and a half.Length he needs in England Especially against someone like Alastair Cook, the length should be up, because he will bowl across him. Cook is very good at cutting and pulling, so if Ishant can bowl up to him and keep him quiet, it will be really good on any kind of wicket.Area he needs to focus on Consistency. I know he is a workhorse and the captain will look to him for long spells, but he has to be careful not to burn out. He should be able to tell the captain [if he is] being overused. Also, he needs to focus on not giving runs. If he is not picking up wickets, no problem. He might bowl 10-4-15-0, but he is still doing his job for the team, so he should focus on what he knows.Area he needs to work on Length. I completely understand that he has that length, which is really short. You can easily say, “Oh, this is my length.” But he should be able to alter that length a little bit, according to the pitch, according to the batsman. He knows he needs to bowl up.”Even if the ball is not swinging, Shami can land it on the seam regularly and the ball does something”•Getty ImagesMohammed Shami – “There is something in his hand”
Strengths He is a very skilful bowler. He has pace, especially when he has good rhythm. He might go ten to 12 overs without a wicket and suddenly in 18 overs he might take five wickets. He is that kind of a bowler. In one spell of five overs, he can pick up three wickets even when the ball is not doing anything. His hand is really straight. Even if the ball is not swinging, he can land it on the seam regularly and the ball something. There is something in his hand.Length he bowls Generally, he bowls up. He is not a [Jasprit] Bumrah or an Ishant Sharma – hit-the-deck bowlers. He can reverse the ball. In England this summer, the ball might reverse, especially at Lord’s and The Oval. At the Headingley ODI, Mark Wood was reversing on a dry wicket. Shami’s hand is so straight that he can use the reverse swing well, even with the red Dukes ball. If the Dukes is reversing, it is more lethal than a Kookaburra. If he is fit, in that second spell or the late spells around tea, Shami can be really handy. But the key thing is fitness.Length he needs in England If he is bowling with the new ball, if it shapes, it is fine. Even if it is not shaping, he should look to bowl up, because then he can trouble guys like Cook and Joe Root. He needs to bowl up. If he is hit for a four, it should be past long-on or long-off rather than square leg or point. Guys like him, Umesh Yadav and Bhuvneshwar Kumar need to bowl up – that is their strength.In Test cricket, it does not matter how much variety you have. You might be able to bowl a good back-of-the-hand slower one or a good yorker, but those things are secondary. About 85 to 90% of the time you have to bowl the good-length delivery – your stock delivery. It goes out, it comes in, you bowl 145kph, you bowl 130kph – that is all secondary. So Shami needs to focus on a good, top-of-the-stump kind of length, which has been his strength.Area he needs to focus on Fitness. He has had a bad knee. He has not played a lot of cricket recently, including in the IPL. The captain also has to look after Shami. He is not like Ishant, who can give you an eight- or nine-over spell. Shami can be given six to seven overs in the first spell and then a short burst of four to five overs, where he bowls all out.Area he needs to work on If he is fit, he will definitely do well. He might take a Test match to come back into that rhythm, but he needs to bowl more and more. The last Test he played was in South Africa six months back. He should look to bowl long spells in the practice sessions.”Whenever there is some assistance from the pitch, Umesh should look to bowl up and try to swing the ball”•Getty ImagesUmesh Yadav – “Don’t give freebies”
Strengths When it comes to fitness and athleticism, Umesh is the No. 1 in this team. He is also the best fielder among the Indian fast bowlers. He has not played Test cricket in England, but he has done well in Australia. Bhuvi [Bhuvneshwar Kumar] is injured; Bumrah is coming back from an injury; Shami has not played much cricket; Ishant has played county cricket and Tests [against South Africa and Afghanistan]. Umesh played all the games for RCB in the IPL and he played all the T20Is and two ODIs [on the limited-overs leg of the England tour], so he is one bowler who has been playing constant cricket. There will be responsibility on him.Pace-wise he will be up. He also has the length. He likes to bowl up. If his outswing gets going, he is a 140-plus bowler.Length he bowls Fuller.Length he needs in England When the conditions are really hot, Umesh will be handy. He can bowl good reverse. Even in India, when he played 17 to 18 Test matches non-stop, he was constantly picking up two to three wickets. Whenever there is some assistance from the pitch, he should look to bowl up and try to swing the ball, which he was trying to do with the Kookaburra in the T20Is and ODIs in England.Area he needs to focus on Umesh will go for runs, more than Bhuvneshwar or Ishant. He is like Waqar Younis, who used to pick up wickets but go for runs. He does not need to try too many things. He is a hit-the-deck bowler, bowls up, swings the ball. He has a skiddy bouncer, which he does not use much, but he should look to bowl it at the right time.Area he needs to work on His line. Even in 50-overs cricket, he bowls the odd ball down leg – that is a freebie, a four. You don’t want to do that in Tests. In Test cricket, 90% of the time you will focus on bowling the stock delivery. Umesh looks to bowl up, but he needs to do everything [within] the stumps. He should not bowl too many deliveries that a batsman can flick to leg or cut to off.Mentally he needs to be strong, even if he goes for runs. He needs that confidence from the coach and captain. If he needs a deep square leg and deep point in the second session, so be it, but Umesh should look to take wickets.”Bumrah should look to use the bouncer as a surprise weapon. He has good pace and a different action, so the bouncer will work for him”•AFP/Getty ImagesJasprit Bumrah – “Don’t be reluctant with the yorker”
Strengths His X-factor is his action. If you haven’t played him much, it is not easy to pick him. He has pace and the ball comes a lot quicker than you think. Out of the lot of Indian fast bowlers he has the best yorker, the most difficult ball to bowl. He also has a very good slower delivery. If you are playing on a wicket that is dry and the ball is old and reversing, Bumrah will be really handy.Length he bowls Back of a length, but the good thing is, he is a very quick learner. He is not somebody who bowls only into the right-hander or takes it away from the left-hander. He can bowl – I will not say outswing, but he can bowl a straight delivery at will. That is his strength. He is not a one-dimensional bowler. He can bowl a slower one, too.Length he needs in England He needs to make adjustments to bowl fuller.Area he needs to focus on He is a bit reluctant to bowl the bouncer. Maybe he is underestimating it. He should look to use the bouncer as a surprise weapon. He has good pace and a different action, so the bouncer will work for him.Area he needs to work on It will be very important to get into a rhythm as soon as possible. Bumrah should stick to the strengths he utilises in limited-overs cricket. If the ball is reversing in the second or third session, he should not be shy to bowl a yorker. He can have a deep square leg. In Test cricket, you can keep a defensive field but bowl aggressively. At times you can bowl defensively with an attacking field. You can have three slips and a gully but bowl wide outside off stump. Or you might keep a deep square leg or a deep fine leg, but that does not mean you are bowling defensively. If you miss the yorker and the batsman flicks it, it is still only a single.Bhuvneshwar Kumar – “Keep him sharp, bowl short spells”
Strengths Everybody knows he’s a good swing bowler. More than that, he has a good head on his shoulders. He knows what he is doing. He is quicker than you think.Length he bowls He bowls the Test-match length – good length – and he has good control. If the ball is not swinging and the batsman is hitting fours through mid-off and the covers, Bhuvneshwar can alter the length and bring it back. He is very sharp that way.Length he needs to bowl in England He does not need to do anything different.Area he needs to work on The team management should make sure he does not bowl too long a spell. Any bowler will get tired if he bowls a ten-over spell. I have seen him bowl nine- to ten-over spells at Lord’s [in 2014]. As long as he is fresh, there is zip in his bowling.”Shardul Thakur generally pitches it up. That is the perfect length in England”•AFPShardul Thakur – “Focus on swinging the ball”
Strengths He is stocky guy, but he is a skiddy bowler. He can bowl 138 to 140kph.Length he bowls He generally pitches it up. That is what I saw him doing in the Ranji Trophy. That will be the perfect length in England.Length he needs in England If you need the length altered in dry conditions, he should be able to do that.Area he needs to focus on He should understand very quickly that this is not white-ball cricket, where he is a one-change bowler. Even in the Leeds ODI, he was one-change. He relies on the knuckleball, slower ball, slower-ball bouncer. In Test cricket he should understand that all that will not work.Area he needs to work on He is a good outswing bowler. He should focus on swinging the ball from a good area. But he should be mentally ready for Test cricket. He should try and get into the groove as soon as possible. He has already played one four-day game – for India A, which would have given him an idea of what to expect.The interview was conducted in the City Sports Bar at The Grange, St Paul’s in London

The explosive middle-order batsman talks about India’s preparations for the World T20 and her own form this year

Sruthi Ravindranath27-Oct-20182:32

‘Powar has picked the traits of the players very quickly’ – Veda Krishnamurthy

Better communication of decisions and allowing all members of the team to express their grievances and issues openly have been the standout aspects of Ramesh Powar’s short tenure as head coach of India women, according to senior middle-order batsman Veda Krishnamurthy.”The best part about Ramesh is that he is getting everyone to talk,” Krishnamurthy told ESPNcricinfo. “Communication has improved. He has asked us to speak out more. If there’s anything running in our mind, he wants us to openly have a conversation about it, which wasn’t the case earlier. Players are sitting and discussing what their role should be in the team and what they should actually do. There’s a lot of cricket being spoken. That’s the one thing he’s been stressing on ever since he joined us, he wants everyone to come together and work towards it.”Powar was appointed on an interim basis following internal discord that eventually led to Tushar Arothe’s resignation five months ahead of the Women’s World T20 in the Caribbean. Under Powar, India tasted success across formats on their tour of Sri Lanka last month. Since then, the players have had a rigorous camp in Mumbai and have topped off their preparation for the World T20 by combining as an India A outfit that whitewashed Australia A 3-0 in an unofficial T20I series.It was only in June that the same team underwent a torrid time at the Asia Cup, where they were beaten twice by Bangladesh, including in the final. In the aftermath, reports of rifts between the senior players and the then coach Arothe first surfaced. This eventually led to the BCCI calling off a scheduled fitness and skills camp in Bengaluru. Things have improved for the better since, and Powar, who has had previous coaching experience with Mumbai’s Under-23s, has gone out of his way to foster camaraderie and confidence within the group.”It’s a different atmosphere around him. We’ve been used to a similar kind of coaching for a long time, and for him to come in and change the atmosphere completely, it’s a big deal,” Krishnamurthy said. “I think everyone likes it. There ‘s conversation between the players as well as the coaching staff now. You don’t hold back anything and you’re speaking your mind. That’s the biggest change in the dressing room.”India head coach Ramesh Powar and fielding coach Biju George have a chat•Annesha GhoshThings have not been as upbeat as expected for India since their run to the World Cup final last year, and their inadequacies have been exposed, especially in the shortest format. While they won the T20I series against hosts South Africa earlier this year, they couldn’t qualify for the tri-series final against England and Australia at home. The final nail in Arothe’s tenure were the Asia Cup losses to Bangladesh, which Krishnamurthy put down to “over-planning”.”We planned too many things for the Asia Cup. We should have just stuck to our basics instead,” she said. “There were so many things the management was doing and the players were doing but at the end of the day it taught us all something – that we shouldn’t overdo anything. We knew there was a World T20 coming up and our focus should have turned towards that. But now whatever happened during that phase does not hurt us much as we’ve shifted our focus.”Krishnamurthy’s form in recent times has particularly come under scrutiny. She has made just 177 runs in 11 T20I innings this year, her highest score being a match-winning unbeaten 37 in a chase of 165 against South Africa in February. Following her poor run in the format, she was left out for the last two matches against England and Australia in the tri-series. Her only other significant contribution – an unbeaten 29 off 23 balls – came against Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup. In the final against Bangladesh in Kuala Lumpur, she walked in amidst a batting collapse, and was out for 11. The recent failures, however, haven’t deterred Krishnamurthy in her quest to be the X-factor in the middle order.”I think I’m the most suitable person to bat in the position in the team,” she said. “Not everybody can do it and I have been doing it for a really long time. I’ve been a middle-order batsman ever since I started playing. I’m experienced enough to handle that position, it’s very tricky. I’m aware that my wicket is like the final nail in the coffin. In a collapse if I get out, it is like I’m nailing my team’s coffin. It’s a very tricky position to bat in but I like that kind of pressure. I would definitely want to keep that spot unless the team thinks someone else should replace me.”While she has earlier spoken about the mental challenges she faced, especially after a spate of poor performances, Krishnamurthy now seems more confident in her abilities and also seems to have grown more understanding of what the team expects from her. And again, she stressed on how communication within the team has enabled everyone to dovetail their roles and responsibilities.”It’s pretty clear what I have to do for the team and that gives me a lot of confidence,” she said. “I don’t have to break my head anymore over what exactly my role is. It’s important for me to go and get those quick runs and make sure I put the team in a commendable position. It makes life easier for a player when that happens. Since the Sri Lanka series we’ve been very clear with our plans and roles, everyone knows what to do. It all now comes down to how we are going to implement that during the World T20.”

And which batsman made 50 in his first Test with a dozen fours?

Steven Lynch30-Oct-2018I know that Virat Kohli reached 10,000 runs in ODIs quicker than anyone else. Who was the next fastest? asked Ghulam Karmarkar from India

Virat Kohli scorched past 10,000 runs in one-day internationals during his unbeaten 157 in the tied match against West Indies in Visakhapatnam last week. That was his 205th innings, in his 213th ODI. The next fastest to 10,000 was Sachin Tendulkar, who got there in his 259th innings (266th match). That means that Kohli could make ducks in his next 50 innings, and still have the most runs at that stage of an ODI career.Of the others in the select band of batsmen who have scored 10,000 ODI runs, Sourav Ganguly needed 263 innings (272 matches) to get there, Ricky Ponting 266 (272), Jacques Kallis 272 (286), MS Dhoni 273 (320), Brian Lara 278 (287), Rahul Dravid 287 (309), Tillakaratne Dilshan 293 (319), Kumar Sangakkara 296 (315), Inzamam-ul-Haq 299 (322), Sanath Jayasuriya 328 (337) and Mahela Jayawardene 333 (355).Among current players, the only one threatening Kohli’s marks is Hashim Amla, who has so far scored 7696 runs in 166 innings (169 matches); at the same point, Kohli had 7460 runs. Since then Kohli has increased his average from 52.90 to a giddying 59.90, so Amla – who is more than five years older – will do well to keep up.Tom and Sam Curran both played for England in one of the ODIs in Sri Lanka. When was the last time England fielded brothers in the same team? asked Kenneth Day from England

I suppose it was only a matter of time before Tom and Sam Curran played in the same England team – they had racked up 24 international appearances between them before finally doing so, in the fifth ODI against Sri Lanka in Colombo last week. The last pair of brothers to appear in the same ODI for England were Adam and Ben Hollioake, against Sri Lanka in Sydney in 1998-99.The Hollioakes also played a Test together – their joint debut, against Australia at Trent Bridge in 1997. That was the first time England had fielded brothers in the same Test team for 40 years, since Peter and Dick Richardson both played against West Indies, also at Trent Bridge, in 1957.Aaron Finch scored nine centuries in ODIs before making his Test debut. Has anyone made more than this? asked Kade McNamara from Australia

Aaron Finch and Ireland’s William Porterfield made 11* one-day international hundreds before making their Test debuts; Paul Stirling made seven and Ed Joyce six. Virat Kohli made five, while Ahmed Shehzad of Pakistan, South Africa’s Quinton de Kock and Rohit Sharma all made four.But Porterfield leads the way for ODI runs before Test debut – he piled up 3692, in 119 matches. Finch is second with 3361 from 93. Stirling made 3295, Kevin O’Brien 3126 and Rohit 3049. The current player with the most runs in ODIs without having appeared in a Test is South Africa’s David Miller with 2588, just ahead of England’s Jason Roy (2536). Among non-Test players, Calum Macleod has made seven ODI centuries, Roy six, Ryan ten Doeschate five, Miller and Kyle Coetzer four.Aaron Finch made nine ODI hundreds before getting his Test debut•Getty ImagesWe had this question in a recent quiz, and it floored everyone – what’s the answer please! What do Gerry Alexander, Chandrakant Pandit, Wally Grout and Tim Zoehrer uniquely have in common? asked M Rajneesh from India

Well, all four of them are wicketkeepers – but they do share something more specific than that. Alexander and Grout were keepers in the first tied Test, between Australia and West Indies in Brisbane in 1960-61, and Pandit and Zoehrer featured** in the second tied Test, between India and Australia in Madras (now Chennai) in 1986-87.Who reached 50 in his first Test innings by hitting 12 fours? asked Mukul Ahmed from India

I think the answer here is Shikhar Dhawan, who raced to 50 on debut, with a dozen fours for India against Australia in Mohali in 2012-13. His eventual 187 – from just 174 balls – contained 33 fours and two sixes.When New Zealand’s Tim Southee walloped an unbeaten 77 in the second innings of his first Test, against England in Napier in 2007-08, his half-century included 50 in boundaries. He hurtled to 53 (from 29 balls) with his seventh six, and also hit two fours. Southee ended up with four fours and nine sixes – and hasn’t yet bettered that debut score in 59 further Tests.*Oct 31: This answer was revised completely. It previously had out-of-date informationUse our feedback form or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questions

From Pakistan’s pace and India’s muddled middle, to Sri Lanka’s silkiness and Bangladesh’s Fizz, here’s what you should watch out for this Asia Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Sep-20181:40

Can Babar Azam fire in his maiden Asia Cup?

Sri Lanka’s top order of ball-timers
No one can reasonably claim that Sri Lanka have mightier batsmen than India or Pakistan, but their probable top four are perhaps the most watchable bunch in the tournament. Upul Tharanga has velvet offside shots; Kusal Mendis plays serenely on the legside; Niroshan Dickwella is dynamic behind the wicket; and Dhananjaya de Silva – if he plays – is the most pleasing of the lot, his cutting, driving, sweeping and pulling so languid you wonder if the whole thing is happening in slow motion. The challenge, as ever, for this Sri Lanka batting order, is to survive for long enough to give themselves a chance of unfurling those dazzling attacking strokes.Meat in the middle
If the top order is smooth, skilful and subtle, Thisara Perera and Dasun Shanaka – both seam-bowling allrounders – are the batting order’s muscle. Thisara is having a resurgent year to follow several lean ones, averaging 40.28 in 2018 with a strike rate of 134. Shanaka, meanwhile, comes into the tournament in white-hot form, having hit a matchwinning 65 off 34 balls in one of his two matches of the recent series against South Africa (he and Thisara had walloped 109 off 67 balls together, in that game), before going on to dominate Sri Lanka’s premier domestic T20 tournament, hitting 81, 60 not out, and 105 not out in his three most-recent innings. Both batsmen have flaws in their games, but if either can bat 25 balls towards the end of the innings, Sri Lanka may achieve the kinds of rapid finishes that have often eluded them in the past.Getty ImagesPakistan’s pace battery
Nothing quite tells you a side values the art of fast bowling more than picking six seamers for a series on the traditionally placid pitches of the UAE. Pakistan, who’ve played more in that country than any other of late, surprised many with their squad selection.Mohammad Amir, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Usman Khan, Shaheen Afridi and Junaid Khan all feature in the 16-man squad, and this might have something to do with giving all legitimate contenders a chance to stake their claim for a slot in the World Cup in England, where their abilities are likely to carry far greater menace. Besides, such an array of capable options means Pakistan can afford to rest their pacers more frequently than any other side at the Asia Cup – something any fast bowler would be thankful for in hot, tough conditions – and every opposition would do well to be wary of well-rested Pakistan quicks.A fielding coach for Pakistan, at last
While the details of why Pakistan didn’t have a fielding coach for three months have been foggy, it is clear the situation was dealt with in a somewhat ham-fisted manner. It was a surprise Steve Rixon was leaving in the first place, and to let him go following internal disagreements reeks of a situation that might have been handled better, particularly since Rixon himself revealed to ESPNcricinfo that personal reasons had no part to play in his departure.Then, Darren Berry’s appointment was considered all but a done deal months ago, but as the situation lingered on and Pakistan didn’t have a fielding coach present in Zimbabwe, there were whispers Berry might not be joining after all. Last week, Pakistan finally settled on former New Zealand international Grant Bradburn.Head coach Mickey Arthur was effusive in his praise for Rixon’s contribution for Pakistan’s improved fielding standards over the past two years, and, sure enough, those standards dipped during Pakistan’s tour of Zimbabwe. Bradburn now has the not inconsiderable job of ensuring Pakistan’s fielding, their most persistent bete noire, continues on the upward trajectory it’s been on of late.Associated PressBangladesh’s Fizz at the death
Mustafizur Rahman is expected to do the bulk of Bangladesh’s bowling in the death overs, invariably closing out the innings. In 14 matches in the last two years, he has conceded at 5.53 runs per over in the last five overs of an ODI, and picked up eight wickets in this period. His variations obviously come into play, but so do deliveries which simply run past right and left-handers. Rubel Hossain has taken 11 wickets in the same phase of the innings (since 2016), but he doesn’t have Mustafizur’s control and can leak runs.Two Ms to kick things off for Bangladesh
Bangladesh have a steady pair with the new ball: Mashrafe Mortaza and offspinner Mehidy Hasan. They did a great job in the West Indies, particularly Mehidy, who was mostly successful in keeping Chris Gayle and Evin Lewis in check. Mashrafe too remained persistent, using both subtle and stark variations in seam and pace to attack and defend in the first Powerplay. Mustafizur Rahman and Rubel Hossain are unlikely to open the bowling, as both are heavily used in the middle and death overs. That has reduced Bangladesh’s attacking options to just one pace bowler in Mortaza.AFPAfghanistan’s bare pace cupboard
Afghanistan’s vaunted spin trio of Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Mohammad Nabi propelled them through to 2019 World Cup in March and more recently to a 2-1 ODI series win over Ireland in Belfast. But the heavy reliance on them to win matches has partly been a consequence of increasingly thin pace-bowling depth.At the 2015 World Cup, Aftab Alam was the reserve seamer behind three superb options in Hamid Hassan, Shapoor Zadran and Dawlat Zadran. All three have suffered injury or loss of form since, meaning Alam has been thrust into the role as the leader of the pace attack. Alam fared okay with five wickets in three ODIs against Ireland while allrounder Gulbadin Naib filled out the rest of the overs as a makeshift second seam option. But the lack of a genuine frontline seamer to support Alam is a concern and it may be the weak link that Sri Lanka and Bangladesh look to exploit when the Group B games get underway.The Najibullah question
Najibullah Zadran has been an explosive T20 player for Afghanistan and was the only batsman from the country snapped up this summer in an overseas T20 franchise league when he was taken by Montreal Tigers in the Global T20 Canada. The hard-hitting left-hander has been the country’s designated finisher in the shortest format but team leadership’s usage of him in one-day cricket has been a bit more muddled.Against Ireland, he only played two of the three ODIs, batting once at No. 8 to top score with 42 off 52 balls. Most of his success has come at No. 6, where he has scored five of eight ODI fifties, but often team management has pushed him down the order to accommodate others rather than the other way around and the result is his often being stuck with the tail. The time has come for him to be facing more, not fewer deliveries, in the same manner as the rest of the world’s best 50-over finishers.BCCIIndia’s middle-order conundrum
KL Rahul, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik and Ambati Rayudu are all jostling for positions in the middle order. How do India go about picking from among these options?Karthik’s struggles in England against the red ball and his subsequent ouster from the Test squad makes his Nidahas Trophy heroics and sparkling IPL form seem distant. Pandey had a horror IPL, but has been in a prolific white-ball form: his last four innings – all against the A teams of India, South Africa and Australia – read 73*, 117*, 21* and 95*. Rayudu has overcome the yo-yo setback by showing consistency for India A, and KL Rahul has shown flashes of brilliance across formats but hasn’t been able to marry it with consistency. But none of them can bowl, and, in England, India dearly missed someone from the top six who could bowl.This, therefore, gives Jadhav an obvious edge on two counts: he is the only one among the middle-order options who can bowl, and his slow offspin with a low-arm slingy action creates difficulties for batsmen on sluggish surfaces. But his fitness has always been a concern, even more now as he is returning from a five-month layoff due to a hamstring injury. With Virat Kohli rested, an extra spot could open up. This means three of these five could feature in any given XI. The race to own these spots will be an interesting one.Something old, something new
Doubts over Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s fitness arose when he wasn’t named in India’s squad for the last two England Tests. He dispelled them by featuring in a match-winning spell for India A late last month. Now, as India’s senior-most fast bowler in the touring party, he will have to play mentor to the other fast bowlers.Among them is Khaleel Ahmed, the uncapped 20-year-old left-arm fast bowler, who has been effusive in his praise for Bhuvneshwar and the lessons he learnt during their time together at Sunrisers Hyderabad. MSK Prasad, the chief selector, believes that looking ahead to the World Cup, a fast-bowling slot is still up for grabs. Given the left-arm variety of fast bowler suddenly seems to have become rare in Indian cricket, and that Khaleel is likely to bowl a lot in the nets this series, he has the chance to impress his way into the XI and occupy that slot.

The 19 runs scored by Australia in the first Powerplay was their fewest in an ODI at home

Gaurav Sundararaman04-Nov-20187 – Consecutive losses for Australia in ODIs – their worst streak ever, beating their six successive losses between September 7 and November 3, 1996. The current streak started against England at the Perth Stadium earlier this year. Australia lost five games to England in England and now have one loss against South Africa.3 – Bowlers to have got to 150 ODI wickets in fewer matches than Imran Tahir. He equals the South Africa record of 87 matches to the milestone. Allan Donald and Morne Morkel also reached this mark in 87 matches. Saqlain Mushtaq (78 matches), Brett Lee (82) and Ajanta Mendis (84) are the bowlers who reached there quicker.8 – Wins for South Africa in Perth. This city has been a happy hunting ground for South Africa; they’ve lost just two games across formats here.124 – Balls remaining for South Africa when they achieved their target – their fourth-largest victory against Australia in terms of balls remaining. Incidentally, three of the top four games have taken place in Perth.1 – Number of totals smaller than the 152 that Australia scored here, while batting first. This is Australia’s fifth-lowest first-innings score at home.19 – Runs scored by Australia in the first Powerplay – the lowest at home and the second lowest since 2001 while batting first. The previous lowest was when they had scored 15 runs against England in 2012. This was also the first instance in which Australia did not score a boundary in the first 10 overs while batting first and third instance overall since 2001.Graphic: Australia got off to a dreadful start in the first ODI against South Africa•ESPNcricinfo Ltd5 – Matches in which Mitchell Starc has not taken the new ball for Australia. The previous such instance was in 2014 in Zimbabwe, and this is the first instance at home since 2012.10 – Losses for Australia in 2018 from 11 matches – the worst year for Australia in ODIs. Even if they win the next two matches, this will still be the worst year for them. In their last 21 ODIs, Australia have won only two matches.

India’s always-attacking, ever-smiling Test wicketkeeper passed a baptism by fire in Australia and England last year. He talks about his keeping, and the method behind his batting madness

Interview by Sidharth Monga19-Feb-2019Rishabh Pant has had the toughest possible initiation into international cricket. Nine months ago he was looking at an idle summer. Then Wriddhiman Saha got injured and Pant was thrown into the deep end before his time. His first consistent run has come in Tests: it came in Tests in England, the toughest place to keep wicket to quicks, and during a series that was very tough for batting. He has set records for byes, and also for dismissals. He has looked suspect at times, but he has scored hundreds in London and Sydney. He has been consistently in the spotlight, but he has taken the challenge on with a smile on his face.What were your plans for the last summer?
Nothing special. I was in England playing for India A in the one-day matches. There the selectors put it in the back of my mind that I could get a call-up for the Tests. Wriddhi [Saha] was injured, so they asked me to stay prepared and selected me for the four-day matches too.When did you get to know you were selected?
It was the morning of our four-day match against England Lions. It was almost their main team. Alastair Cook, Chris Woakes, Sam Curran, Ollie Pope, Dawid Malan, they were all there. We were about to go out on the field – we had lost the toss and were fielding first. Just then Nannu [Sarandeep Singh, national selector] called me over. “Rishabh, come here for a minute.” I went there. And he said, “You are selected.” I said, “For what?” surety .” [I wanted to be sure before I let myself enjoy it.]He said, your name is in the Test team. Oh time [Oh the joy I felt at that time…] The first thing I did was hug Nannu . Then I went to keep wicket, and what joy I kept wicket with that day.After the day’s play, the moment I got my phone back, the first thing I did was call my mother. She was very happy. Then I called Tarak sir [Tarak Sinha, Pant’s coach in Delhi].Your game is modern. It is aggressive, but the way you speak about it, it seems Test cricket means everything to you.
Always. Right from the start. Because at Sonnet Club [where Sinha coaches], merely an international player means nothing. He often says, “International player is nothing. Test player is the real player.” It always stayed in my mind. I had played for India one year previously. But Tarak sir was like, “That’s okay, that’s no big deal. The day you play Test cricket, I will recognise you as a proper player.” That’s why after my mother, I called him up.1:52

The Paine-Pant banter series

What did he say that day?
After a long time, he was happy that day. Generally he is very hard to please. Even if I score a hundred, he is never pleased. That was the day he was happy.England is the most difficult place to keep wicket, and the quality of the bowlers was so high. Did you feel it was a big jump?
No. You face all these bowlers in the IPL. Domestic cricket has these same bowlers. Just that the ball moves a lot more in England. But that’s okay, there’s always a first time. But I can say that as a wicketkeeper, when I played India A matches and then against the Lions, I had a fair idea of what to expect. Also, these matches were played with the Dukes ball. And it is India A bowlers who go and bowl in Tests in the future. Unless you are a good bowler, you won’t be in the India A side.A lot of byes were conceded at the start. The odd catch went down. Did you ever feel you should have been eased in through the shorter formats and then progressed to Tests?
No. I didn’t feel that, because if you see those byes, you will know whether 90% of those should be called byes or whatever…Or wides…
Yes. People who saw the game live, England wicketkeeping coach Bruce French and Jos Buttler, both of them said they had never seen anyone keeping in England for the first time do so well. Yes, I conceded byes. Obviously it frustrated me. But if I am doing my best and I can’t stop them, if the bowler himself is coming to apologise – I am conceding boundaries and he is saying sorry – then you feel…Okay, I am not running away from it, I did miss the odd one here or there, but most of them were difficult to stop.ALSO READ: Innate confidence helps Pant face tough initiationThe number of byes was going up but so were the number of catches and stumpings. Test cricket is a long day – six and a half hours of keeping, the big screen is playing the byes often. How difficult is it to stay positive and not let it affect you?
That’s the most difficult part. Especially in those conditions, and in your debut series. That pressure builds up in its own way, but as a wicketkeeper you must know this will go on. There will be byes, there will be catches that will go down, but what is important is what you do when the next chance arrives. Because there will always be a next catch. If you are not positive, if you are not in a good frame of mind, you can drop that next one too. To recover from your mistake, you have to stay positive. How you do it – as a player you should know that.How did you learn to do that?
I always look at the positive side of things. Wicketkeeping is all about the feel. And I got a good feel about my wicketkeeping in England. So I didn’t look too much at the scoreboard.And the big screen? Did you see highlights packages on the big screen of all the byes?
Yes, but what I saw was this: I was taking two-three steps, and then diving full length. If the ball goes away even after that, I wasn’t that unhappy about it.So even at that time you were analysing yourself?
As a wicketkeeper, and as a youngster, if I don’t learn, it will be very difficult. Always important to keep learning from your mistakes. I was analysing which balls I could have stopped, which I couldn’t have.