The Kolkata Knight Riders opener seems to have found his mojo at the top of the batting order again, and rival teams are paying

Nagraj Gollapudi25-Apr-2024At the halfway mark of Kolkata Knight Riders’ innings in their home match against Rajasthan Royals ten days ago, Kumar Sangakkara, the Royals director of cricket, said he felt sorry for bowlers this IPL, in which batters have plundered runs at a rate not seen in the tournament’s history until now.A packed Eden Gardens swayed with happy emotion as Sunil Narine, Knight Riders’ opener, whipped a short delivery outside off from Kuldeep Sen for four. Harsha Bhogle, who was on air, asked Sangakkara how Royals might stop Narine. “Hopefully he’ll get himself out,” Sangakkara said.By the time Narine did get out, he had made his first T20 century in over 500 matches to become the first KKR batter to score an IPL hundred at Eden Gardens. It came in 49 balls. Though his start was steady, he accelerated in the middle and death overs, scoring at an overall strike rate of over 194, with six hits over the rope and 13 fours.Related

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Narine, who until earlier this week was among the top ten run-makers in the tournament after that innings, still leads ESPNcricnfo’s Smart Stats MVP standings for the tournament, thanks to his batting heroics paired with incisive bowling that has brought him nine wickets.He has been a distinct point of difference for KKR, who are second on the points table and have shaped up as the team to beat behind RR through the first half of this year’s IPL.At the innings break after his hundred, Narine said that just the fact of him being in contention for the orange cap was a joke, given his dire returns with the bat over the last few IPL seasons. Starting with 2021, he made 62, 71 and 21 runs respectively, batting ten innings in each of the last three years, not all as opener.How has this turnaround as an impact opener come about?Narine says Gautam Gambhir, the former Knight Riders captain, who returned as the team’s mentor this season, has been instrumental. “With GG coming back, he gave me the confidence and the assurance that I’ll open the batting. And out of the 14 games, just try to [succeed] in three or four to give the team a good start.”ESPNcricinfo LtdIt was under Gambhir’s captaincy, in 2017, that Narine opened for the first time for KKR. The idea to field him as an opener, Simon Katich, the franchise’s assistant coach between 2015 and 2019, says was adopted from Melbourne Renegades, who tried Narine out as an opener for three matches in the 2016-17 BBL. He scored just 37 runs in those games but there was enough on show to establish that Renegades were not just throwing things at a wall hoping something stuck.Back in 2017 at KKR, Narine was paired with Australian batter Chris Lynn, one of the leading top-order T20 power-hitters of the time. “We knew teams wanted to bowl spin early to Lynny,” Katich says, “and we felt Sunny would put pressure on the opposition team in the first couple of overs, which allowed his partner to get settled and attack in the back end of the powerplay.”The impact of that strategy was witnessed in May 2017, when Narine and Lynn pulped Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s bowlers in a 105-run opening partnership in the powerplay, chasing a target of 158. It was, until April 20 this year, the highest powerplay partnership in IPL history.”The game was over. The boys killed it in the first six overs,” Katich chuckles.That rampage by Narine and Lynn showed what an aggressive mindset and a batter with no fear of consequences can do. It was something of a precursor to the batting carnage we have seen this IPL, where the record for the highest IPL total has been broken three times, two of those instances courtesy the outrageous batting of Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma of Sunrisers Hyderabad.Narine and Phil Salt, the KKR openers, have not been too far behind that pair. In the match against Royals, that team’s spinners, Yuzvendra Chahal and R Ashwin, deliberately pitched on a line outside off stump in an attempt to evade Narine’s hitting arc. He still managed to score heavily against the pair, who are arguably among the best slow bowlers in the tournament.Narine was not slogging, and evidence of that came in how he repeatedly squeezed boundaries through the pocket behind the bowler, who had positioned long-off and long-on extra straight. Narine picked up 67 runs from just 28 balls against Chahal and Ashwin in that game. Before that match, Chahal had conceded just five sixes in this year’s tournament in the middle overs, and Ashwin none. Narine hit five sixes off them in that game alone.The start of something big: Narine (right) walks out to open with Aaron Finch for Melbourne Renegades in early 2017•Cricket Australia/Getty ImagesLike Narine, Katich too credits Gambhir with being behind the move to open with Salt and Narine. “It just highlights the way game keeps evolving,” he says. “This year in particular, we are seeing a really aggressive game and teams like KKR and SRH are probably leading the way with that in terms of [saying] ‘We are going to put opposition teams under the pump right from the word go. If it doesn’t go to plan, so be it. We might lose a few [wickets] doing that, but we are going to win more than we lose playing an aggressive style of cricket, and take pressure off that middle order.'”The 19 boundaries Narine hit against Royals is the joint most number of fours and sixes in an innings so far this IPL. Overall this year he has hit 20 sixes, which places him sixth on the list of leading six-hitters this season.How does he derive the power to go so big, despite not having much of a trigger movement?”He has relatively long levers,” says Katich, who was head coach at Trinbago Knight Riders, where too Narine has opened. “When you look at his grip, it’s pretty high on the handle. So when you see him hitting sixes – he’s a powerful ball striker.The short ball was something of an Achilles heel for Narine over the years, and Katich speaks of how there was a period where teams tried to tuck Narine up and bowl at his right shoulder, with some success. While his strike rate against the short ball has been consistently high, his dismissal rate against it was high in the past as well, leading to a low batting average against the short stuff: 11 in 2017, 18 in 2018, 15.66 in 2019.This IPL, on the other hand, in seven innings as an opener, against 59 deliveries pitched back of a length or shorter, Narine has scored 82 runs at an average of 41 and a strike rate of nearly 139, getting out twice.”The beauty of him batting in the powerplay is, it’s very difficult to pin someone down when you have only got two men protecting the boundary, because there are times where he top-edges sixes and then the bowlers [get] gun shy of attacking him again with a short ball,” Katich says. “And because he moves around [the crease], it makes him difficult to bowl to, because he’s just as capable of scoring off side as he’s leg side.Narine has credited KKR team director Gautam Gambhir with giving him confidence in his role as an opener•BCCINarine usually takes a leg-stump guard, holding the bat somewhat loose, his backlift high. Generally he opens up his right hip and right shoulder to be able to use the bottom hand to access both sides of the pitch: he can hit over square leg as easily as he does over deep point. To counter that, Katich says, teams have tried taking pace off the ball and tried pitching fuller around the wide line outside off stump to make it hard for him to power it over mid-off or cover.Narine, though, has improvised to counterattack against that strategy. In the game against Delhi Capitals in Vizag,where Narine made 85, during the powerplay, Ishant Sharma pushed the point fielder back and brought midwicket closer, having placed him deep earlier. Narine read it correctly and took a quick step wide to hit it over mid-off for a four.Also that over, with square leg and midwicket deeper, Ishant attempted a yorker that turned into a low full toss outside off. Narine stretched from his leg-stump guard to connect to it with one hand and got enough power into the stroke for the ball to race for four between point and short third. He got to 34 off 15 after having started his innings with five dot balls.”The thing with Sunil, what a lot of people probably don’t appreciate, is that he actually works as hard as most do on his game,” says Tom Moody, who in the past has watched Narine from the opposition dugout as head coach at Sunrisers Hyderabad, and more recently has worked with him as head coach of Oval Invincibles in the Hundred. “So there’s no coincidence that he has those moments where he can have an opposition on the back foot very quickly, because it’s not like it’s unrehearsed. He is prepared for it.””I have one role and the less I know, the better it is for me,” Narine said this year when asked why he skips batters’ meetings. He would rather lounge by the pool than discuss match-ups.ESPNcricinfo LtdAnd that inclination to keep his mind uncluttered has probably allowed Narine to not fret too much about whether he is in control or not while batting. Among openers this IPL who have faced at least 40 deliveries in the powerplay, his control percentage is the lowest, 51.55, but he counters that with his intent in the first six overs, when only two fielders are allowed in the outfield. Among batters who have faced at least 30 deliveries, only Head has a higher aggression (intent) percentage for openers in the powerplay.In his assault on Royals, Narine had 14 false shots in the first 24 deliveries. An extremely chancy beginning, but he made his own luck. In T20s intent matters more than control, and Narine understands that.Is he unique as a batter?”He’s a skilful bowler that can bat,” Moody says. “And he has realised that his most effective way to bat in this format, and the most damaging, is to play with that freedom. The game is increasingly being recognised for those impact-type innings – those ten-ball impact innings that either help you finish off the total or launch your powerplay into a level that you wouldn’t otherwise have done if you didn’t have that sort of approach.Katich says that moving Narine back up to the opening slot is a winning move by KKR. “He’s a game changer. He’s a proven player in the IPL. He has got a huge amount of experience, he’s a very clever cricketer. The more you can have those guys playing these roles in critical times of the game – which the powerplay is – you give guys that opportunity.”Stats inputs from S Rajesh

All the key numbers from another low-scoring thriller in New York

Sampath Bandarupalli10-Jun-2024114 – The target South Africa defended successfully against Bangladesh on Monday. It is the lowest any team has successfully defended at the Men’s T20 World Cup in a 20-over game. The previous lowest was 120 by India the previous day against Pakistan and in the 2014 edition by Sri Lanka against New Zealand.1 – The target of 114 that Bangladesh failed to chase in New York is the lowest they have failed to get in a men’s T20I. Their previous lowest failed chase – in a full chase where 20 overs where available – was 129 against New Zealand in Mirpur in 2021.Related

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The 114-run target is also the lowest that South Africa have defended successfully in men’s T20Is (where the match was not shortened), bettering their defence of 116 against Sri Lanka in 2013 in Colombo.2 – Number of targets lower than Bangladesh’s 114 not chased by a Full-Member team in a full 20-overs men’s T20I. Zimbabwe lost to Namibia by eight runs while chasing 102 in a T20I last year, while West Indies fell short of a 106-run target by 26 runs against Zimbabwe in 2010. England also lost while chasing a 114-run target against West Indies in 2011 at The Oval.9-0 – South Africa’s win-loss record against Bangladesh in men’s T20Is. South Africa’s nine wins against Bangladesh are the second-most for any team against one opponent in this format without losing one. Portugal’s 10-0 record against Gibraltar is the most one-sided head-to-head record in men’s T20Is.22 – Runs aggregated by South Africa’s top-four batters on Monday. These are the fewest runs by the top-four batters in a winning cause at the men’s T20 World Cup. The previous lowest was 24 runs by New Zealand against England in the 2007 edition.79 – Partnership runs between Heinrich Klassen and David Miller for the fifth wicket. It is South Africa’s highest stand for the fifth wicket or lower in men’s T20Is, bettering last month’s 77-run partnership between Rassie van der Dussen and Wiaan Mulder against West Indies.222 – Runs scored by South Africa and Bangladesh in New York. It is the lowest aggregate for a men’s T20I where both teams played the full 20 overs while losing no more than seven wickets each.These are also the fewest runs aggregated overall in a men’s T20 World Cup game where both teams played the full 20 overs. The previous lowest was 240 runs by Afghanistan and West Indies in Nagpur in 2016.

James Anderson knows from 40,037 (legal) deliveries to be grateful for anything you can get in this game

Andrew Miller12-Jul-2024It all ended with a stooped-shouldered apology. Ben Duckett, feet planted inside the Grandstand boundary, settled beneath a top-edged pull off Jayden Seales with a diffidence that you might not ordinarily expect at the winning moment of a Test match. Gus Atkinson, standing at the end of his follow-through, bowed his head in supplication, even as he completed a debut match haul of 12 for 106, the fourth-best in Test history, and the best by an Englishman for 134 years.It was James Anderson who broke the awkwardness, rushing up to Atkinson to embrace the man who, for this Test at least (if not necessarily for the next 187 to come) has proven himself worthy of leading England’s changed guard.”Gus apologised for taking that last wicket,” Ben Stokes, England’s captain, told the media afterwards, before pausing on the punchline to check the TV cameras weren’t taking his comments live. “Jimmy told him to eff off!”As well he might. Anderson knows from a career spanning 40,037 (legal) deliveries that you should be grateful for anything you can get in this game, that the sensation of success – even if you’re able to feel it on an extraordinary 704 occasions – is still fleeting in the grand scheme of a sportsman’s career. And besides, he’d had his chance to write his own script three overs earlier, when he spilled one of the easiest return catches that can ever have been poked back to him.Anderson’s eyes had widened and his sinews stiffened as Gudakesh Motie stabbed at an inswinger, in his fourth over of the morning, that looped back towards his outstretched left hand. But he simply couldn’t close out the deal. Perhaps, as with the gentle shove towards the exit that he had required in that Manchester hotel-room back in April, Anderson was still not quite ready to go out on his own terms.Related

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Who truly was ready for that moment? Even allowing for the prospect of a full refund for such a swift end on this third day, you got the sense that a packed Lord’s crowd would have watched this final spell for all eternity. His captain was certainly ready to oblige them.”I didn’t tell Jimmy, but I said he was always going to bowl until we took that last wicket,” Stokes said. “However long it took, I wasn’t going to take him off. Even if he said he was tired, I was like, ‘you gotta keep going here’.”And keep going he did, even after the felicitations had been completed and the pints of “recovery shake” Guinness had been downed, as he returned to his favoured Pavilion End long after the close of play to bowl at his daughters and other team-mates’ kids in an outfield knockabout. If he was visibly at peace on this emotional day of farewells, it may be that he’s not yet processed quite what a void he is leaving in this sport.If the choreography of Anderson’s exit paled in comparison to that of Stuart Broad’s at The Oval last summer, then at least the highlights reel will recall his final wicket, No.704, as a true collector’s item; a disassembling of Joshua da Silva that will hold its own in perpetuity.The angle, the length, the subtlety of his outswing – extravagant on the one hand, as it curled from leg to off to kiss the edge of da Silva’s closed-faced bat, yet economised on the other, in keeping with so much else about Anderson’s channelled, streamlined and seemingly eternal pomp.Half a bat’s width, as Glenn McGrath made a point of proving in his own magnificent career, is all you’re ever really looking for as a fast bowler. Anything more, and you’re relying on batter error. Anything less, and the best in the business will be finding the middle of their bat.James Anderson leads his team-mates off•AFP/Getty ImagesIf that moment underlined the craft and the cunning that kept Anderson at England’s cutting edge for two decades, then the moments after his drop were arguably a touching throwback: with his sporting mortality now apparent, a slight hint of desperation crept into his game as he neglected, ever so briefly, the processes that had served him so well for so long, and strained instead for that magic ball that both defined and undermined his uncertain start to Test cricket.Fortunately, Atkinson was on hand to save him from himself and allow the curation of those memories to begin. And it was only at that moment that the true imprint of Anderson’s story – that meteoric arrival in the winter of 2002-03, the traumatic rookie years that followed, and the peerless blend of genius and tenacity that prevented him, first, from becoming another of sport’s precocious “what ifs?” before elevating him into a third act of simply astonishing endurance – was able to burst through the façade and take hold of the day’s narrative.No moment better epitomised this than Sky Sports’ breaking of the fourth wall, moments after the contest was over, as Anderson’s first Test captain, Nasser Hussain, joined him on his perch in the dressing-room for a unique fireside chat.Their five-minute exchange was notable, less for Anderson’s composure, than for the rapt attention that he received from every single member of a team that could not have avoided idolising him long before they began sharing his highs and lows.”Moments like that, you take a step back and you actually really appreciate listening,” Stokes recalled afterwards. “Jimmy did say he felt a bit under the pump, because everyone’s just staring at him, but they were pretty special images for the public and the world to be able to see. Everyone was just so interested to hear what Jimmy had to say, from players to support staff as well.”James Anderson can only laugh after dropping a caught-and-bowled chance•Alex Davidson/Getty ImagesStokes himself was 11 when Anderson played his first Test, on this same ground against Zimbabwe in 2003. Ollie Pope, his vice-captain, was 5. Jamie Smith was 2. Shoaib Bashir had not even been born. Even Chris Woakes, the team’s new senior statesman, was a mere 14. Even for a team that has seen some notable departures in recent years, something about this parting is bound to hit different.”When we got back into the dressing-room, I said to Joe [Root], we’ve been with Cookie [Alastair Cook], we’ve been with Broady, and now we’ve been with Jimmy, so that made us realise our age as well. But I feel very fortunate to have played as much cricket as I have done with three Goats of our game.”It’s a very emotional day, but also, what an occasion for the new lads coming in, to be a part of that,” Stokes added. “For Gus and Jamie, in their first taste of international cricket, to see that reception that you can get as England players. Even I’ve played a lot of cricket, but it sends goosebumps down you.”And now, for Stokes and his men, the challenge is to pay all this forward. To make good on the promise that the team management must have had to make to themselves in the first instance, but which the whole of the squad will now have to uphold: to ensure that the sacrifice of Anderson is not in vain, and that the values he has epitomised are not mislaid in the most seismic era shift that English cricket will have known in generations.”Walking off there at the end there, there was that overwhelming feeling of this being the last time that we would get to walk off the field with Jimmy,” Stokes said. “And the last time for the crowds who’ve come out to watch us, to see Jimmy walk off the field. The reception he got there, and for that half an hour afterwards, was very, very special to be part of.”

Get to know the 2024 World Cup teams: Nepal, PNG, Uganda and USA

27-May-2024Nepalby Ashish Pant
The year 2023 started with Nepal conjuring 12 miracles to make it to the ODI World Cup qualifiers and ended with them qualifying for the T20 World Cup for the first time in a decade. In the group stage of the World Cup Asia Qualifier, they beat Singapore and Malaysia and made it to the knockouts despite losing to Oman. In the semi-final, they met old foes UAE, who were entering the knockouts unbeaten. In front of a packed home crowd, Nepal restricted UAE to 134 for 9 and made it to the final with eight wickets and 17 balls to spare, which also confirmed their qualification for the T20 World Cup. They lost to Oman in the final in the Super Over, but their World Cup ticket was secured.Key players
Rohit Paudel was Nepal’s leading run-scorer in T20Is last year, with 403 runs in 13 innings at an average of 50.37. The Nepal captain is also going into the T20 World Cup in prime form having scored 265 runs in four innings, which included a century and two fifties against a West Indies A side that had bowlers of international repute.Dipendra Singh Airee, Nepal’s highest run-getter in T20Is with 1626 runs in 56 innings, has had a stunning 12 months. Last year against Mongolia he broke the T20 record for the fastest fifty, getting there in just nine balls. More recently, he smashed six sixes in an over in a T20I against Qatar. Airee is also a handy offspinner. with 37 T20I wickets, and is an electric fielder to boot.Kushal Malla, just 20 years old, holds the record for the second-fastest century in T20Is, getting there in 34 balls, against Mongolia last year. He had an excellent 2023 where he scored 402 runs in 12 innings at a strike rate of 193.26. Malla also bowls left-arm spin and has 19 wickets at an economy of 6.18 in T20Is.Nepal in major tournaments
This is Nepal’s first T20 World Cup appearance since 2014. They made it to the 2023 ODI World Cup qualifiers last year, but couldn’t make it to the main event. In 2023, Nepal also qualified for the Asia Cup for the first time in history but failed to register a win in two attempts.Form guide*
LWLWWSquad
Rohit Paudel (capt), Aasif Sheikh, Anil Sah, Kushal Bhurtel, Kushal Malla, Dipendra Singh Airee, Lalit Rajbanshi, Karan KC, Gulsan Jha, Sompal Kami, Pratis GC, Sundeep Jora, Abinash Bohara, Sagar Dhakal, Kamal AireeOpener Tony Ura scored two half-centuries and got his 125 runs at a strike rate of 164.47 in the T20I tri-series in Hong Kong in March•Peter Della PennaPapua New Guineaby Ashish Pant
PNG booked their place in the 2024 T20 World Cup after going unbeaten through the 2023 East-Asia-Pacific Qualifier, sealing their berth with a game to go.This will be their second appearance at the T20 World Cup. Ten members of the current squad played in the 2021 edition held in the UAE and Oman. Assad Vala remains captain and allrounder Charles Amini is his deputy. The bowling unit will be led by medium-pacer Norman Vanua, PNG’s highest wicket-taker in T20Is.Key players
Tony Ura is one of PNG’s most experienced batters and is coming into the World Cup on the back of fifties against Hong Kong and Nepal in a tri-series in Hong Kong in March. He is PNG’s highest run-getter in T20Is overall and since the start of 2023, and was second on the run-scorers’ list in the EAP Qualifier.Charles Amini’s all-round abilities will hold the key for PNG at the World Cup. He is third on PNG’s run-getters’ list (994 in 48 innings) in T20Is, behind Ura and Vala, and second on the wickets charts (47 in 48 innings), behind Vanua.PNG in major tournaments
In their only previous World Cup, in 2021, PNG were placed in a group with Scotland, Bangladesh and Oman in the first round but failed to win any of their three games.Form guide*
WLLWLSquad
Assad Vala (capt), Charles Amini, Alei Nao, Chad Soper, Hila Vare, Hiri Hiri, Jack Gardner, John Kariko, Kabua Morea, Kiplin Doriga, Lega Siaka, Norman Vanua, Semo Kamea, Sese Bau, Tony UraUganda beat every team they came up against in the Africa Region Qualifier, bar Namibia, in November last year•International Cricket CouncilUgandaby Firdose Moonda
A former British colony with a substantial South Asian diaspora population (both before and after the Idi Amin dictatorship, during which Asians were expelled from the country), Uganda has a cricket history that comes from outside influence, but its present is home-grown. The majority of the current squad are Ugandan-born, developed in the sport through the schooling system and are now a pioneering generation of cricketers for their country. This is the first time a senior Uganda side will play at a World Cup, a feat that has not yet been achieved by the national football team.Uganda qualified ahead of Zimbabwe via the Africa Qualifier tournament last year, where they beat Zimbabwe by five wickets and finished second on the seven-team points table. The only side they lost to were fellow qualifiers Namibia; they convincingly beat all other opposition, including their once-up-and-coming neighbours, Kenya.Key players
Frank Nsubuga began his cricket career 27 years ago (although official records have his first cap recorded in 2004), and at 43 he will be the oldest player at this T20 World Cup. He is heralded as one of the fittest members of the squad, who runs 10km before training and aims to sign off from the international game after this event.Riazat Ali Shah, born in Gilgit, Pakistan, is Uganda’s vice-captain, one of three batters in the side with over 1000 T20I runs, and one of their most reliable run-scorers. Riazat moved to Uganda when he was 16 years old but missed out on the next Under-19 World Cup because the logistics around his eligibility were not finalised. He was 20 when he debuted for Uganda in 2018, and is now one of their top performers.Roger Mukasa and Simon Ssesazi are the other two Ugandans with more than 1000 T20I runs, and Ssesazi’s brother, Henry Ssenyondo, is the country’s leading T20I wicket-taker and six away from becoming the first Ugandan to 100 T20I wickets.Uganda in major tournaments
Uganda have never played at a cricket World Cup but have competed in several multi-team tournaments in Africa with a fair amount of success. They won last year’s East Africa Cup in Rwanda with victories in 11 out of 12 games, and reached the semi-final of this year’s African Games in Accra, where they lost to Namibia.Form guide*
LLLLLSquad
Brian Masaba (capt), Riazat Ali Shah, Kenneth Waiswa, Dinesh Nakrani, Frank Nsubuga, Ronak Patel, Roger Mukasa, Cosmas Kyewuta, Bilal Hassan, Fred Achelam, Robinson Obuya, Simon Ssesazi, Henry Ssenyondo, Alpesh Ramjani, Juma MiyagiThis will be USA’s first World Cup, in either format•ICC via Getty ImagesUSAby Hemant Brar
They have qualified for the tournament by virtue of being co-hosts. This will be their first World Cup in any format. Wicketkeeper-opener Monank Patel will lead the side; Aaron Jones will be his deputy.USA come into this World Cup having beaten Bangladesh 2-1 in a three-match T20I series at home. Before that, they trounced Canada 4-0 in a five-match T20I series, also at home.USA will face Canada once again in the World Cup opener in Dallas on June 1. India, Pakistan and Ireland are the other three teams in their group.Key players
Corey Anderson, who played one ODI World Cup and two T20 ones for New Zealand, will turn out for USA this time. He made his USA debut against Canada last month and scored 28 and 55 in two outings. Anderson held the record for the fastest ODI hundred at one time, and USA will want him to roll the clock back to the form of that period.Ali Khan, one of the biggest names in USA cricket, wanted to bowl as fast as Shoaib Akhtar when growing up in Pakistan. While that did not come to pass, he can land his yorkers at a decent pace. He has also been a regular in the CPL.After the 2012 Under-19 World Cup, Ian Chappell compared left-arm spinner Harmeet Singh, who represented India in that event, to Bishan Bedi, saying the youngster was ready for international cricket. Harmeet made his T20I debut for USA last month, scoring 34 not out off 17 balls and taking 4 for 18 against Canada.USA in major tournaments
They have never been part of a World Cup previously, though they did make it to the Champions Trophy in 2004. They came close for the 2022 T20 World Cup, when they won the Americas regional Qualifier the previous year, staying unbeaten throughout the tournament. But in the global Qualifier, with two spots to grab, they lost to Netherlands in the semi-final.Form guide*
LWWWWSquad
Monank Patel (capt), Aaron Jones, Andries Gous, Corey Anderson, Ali Khan, Harmeet Singh, Jesdeep Singh, Milind Kumar, Nisarg Patel, Nitish Kumar, Nosthush Kenjige, Saurabh Netravalkar, Shadley van Schalkwyk, Steven Taylor, Shayan Jahangir*in last five games against teams featuring in the 2024 World CupAlso read the team previews of Canada, Namibia, Netherlands, Oman and Scotland

It’s possible that Southee won’t be in New Zealand’s XI for the Mumbai Test, but the “team first” champion will accept it, as he always has

Alagappan Muthu30-Oct-2024Tim Southee had a crucial hand in New Zealand becoming the first team in 12 years to win a Test series against India in India. He took the catch that signalled that incredible achievement. The rare fast bowler who is good enough to field in the slips, he pulled off an absolute screamer to get rid of Usman Khawaja earlier this year in Christchurch; that ball barely rose up off the ground, but the little it did was enough.In Pune, Southee was stationed on the long-on boundary, which was a hot spot considering Ajaz Patel was spinning the ball into the left-hand batter Ravindra Jadeja. The ball was tossed up. The batter came down the track. The connection was sweet. But once again, in a display of a different kind of agility, Southee ran to his left, staying perfectly balanced even though there was only inches between his feet and the boundary rope; reached up, and out in front of him, as he decelerated; and the ball just nestled in there, safe and snug.New Zealand are in the position they are now – 2-0 up with one more to play – in part because Southee is really, really good at not letting things go. He gets frustrated when his efforts to that end don’t pan out. At training on Wednesday, he went for a pull shot and didn’t connect. As the net rippled behind him, he clutched the bat handle tighter and seemed to wring it.Related

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Pune 2024 a window into New Zealand's future

Kiwis can fly – this time, to where they've not been before

Six back-to-back Tests in the subcontinent is the kind of assignment that New Zealand have rarely had. The batters would be put through an examination. The bowlers would be tested on their endurance. Everybody knew they were second-favourites. Ajaz, even now, considers India to have the wood over them in playing on spin-friendly pitches, which is true, but is still a pretty self-aware thing to say after demonstrably beating them at their own game just a few days ago.In the build-up to this set of fixtures, there was an understanding that New Zealand might have to take an extreme measure and drop their captain. It isn’t unprecedented. New Zealand went through the entire 2016 T20 World Cup in India with their two premier fast bowlers warming the bench. They capped Will Somerville in 2018; he was 34, and into his 13th year as a first-class cricketer. Except, unlike those two instances, which nobody saw coming, there were conversations this time – both on the inside and out – about how Southee, the guy that doesn’t like to let go, might have to.When the squad for the Afghanistan Test, which got rained out, was announced in August, the head coach Gary Stead said: “While we’re going over with an open mind around conditions, there is an understanding that all our bowling options may be needed across the different Tests. Tim and I have discussed this, and the need during these overseas tours to balance the workloads of the pace bowlers, including himself, to ensure the team is best served.”Southee was the Test captain when that squad was announced. He was appointed in 2022, 14 years on from his international debut. He had never performed the role – even in a stand-in capacity – in red-ball cricket, and was chosen over someone who had. NZC’s decision to look past Tom Latham raised a few eyebrows. But it did serve to recognise a cricketer who had given them so much for so long. A fast bowler who has found ways to reinvent himself; who refused to believe there wasn’t a way for him to matter, even when he lost his pace, even when he lost his swing.Tim Southee isn’t likely to let one go, even in training•AFP/Getty ImagesSouthee produced one of the great displays of fast bowling on New Zealand’s last tour of India, a slow and low Kanpur pitch only adding to the sheen of every wicket he took. There were five wickets in the first innings – at the cost of just 2.49 runs per over – and three more in the second. He would have backed himself to do something similar this time around, but in Sri Lanka, it became clear that there was a problem. A 2-0 defeat where they gave up over 600 runs and then got bundled for 88 in reply forced a serious bit of introspection. Two days after that series, Southee stepped down. Stead was part of the discussion that led to this decision. He said they were “delicate”.New Zealand now had the option of balancing their bowling attack a bit better; have enough spinners to exploit pitches that favour them, and bring in quick bowlers who could take the surface out of play, like Will O’Rourke. But, as it turned out, the rain in Bengaluru made sure that conditions favoured fast bowling, too. Southee started the slide that led to 46 all out. And in Pune, he took the only wicket that didn’t go to the spinners. In Mumbai, his zen-ness may be tested again. Matt Henry was bowling full tilt in the nets. It’s likely that he will be back in the XI and someone will have to make way. It won’t be the two spinners; probably won’t be the 6’4″ point-of-difference fast bowler either.Southee’s contribution to this win, with his primary discipline, is three wickets. He was arguably more effective with the bat, helping New Zealand push their lead in the first Test to 350-plus, and pushing ever higher on the list of the most prolific six-hitters in the format’s history. But more than all that, he has done something that is not always straightforward. He put the team’s needs ahead at significant personal cost.”Captaining the Black Caps in a format that’s so special to me has been an absolute honour and a privilege,” Southee said. “I’ve always tried to put the team first throughout my career, and I believe this decision is the best for the team.”New Zealand are in the position they are now – dreaming of a 3-0 win over India in India – in part because one of their greatest ever players was okay letting go of something he loved.

Vote for the best individual Border-Gavaskar Trophy performance by an Indian in Australia since 2000

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Oct-2024Update: This poll has ended. Jasprit Bumrah’s performance goes into the semi-finals. Check the other polls here.ESPNcricinfo LtdJasprit Bumrah’s slower ball to Shaun Marsh remains one of his iconic deliveries•Getty Images

Jasprit Bumrah – 6-33 and 3-53 in Melbourne, 2018

India won by 137 runs, lead series 2-1India had won in Adelaide, lost in Perth, and knew Melbourne would be a hard slog on a slow surface where only 24 wickets had fallen in a drawn Ashes Test the previous year. Time was precious, particularly with rain forecast on days four and five, so they declared seven down with less than 450, recognising they had batted nearly 170 overs.Turns out you don’t need much time if you have a game-breaker who can take the pitch out of the equation. India bowled Australia out twice in 156.2 overs, with nine of their 20 wickets coming from Jasprit Bumrah’s irresistible blend of brain and biomechanical brawn. They wrapped up victory shortly after lunch on day five, with even a washed-out first session powerless to stop them.Bumrah’s first three wickets, all on day three, all from round the wicket to left-hand batters, showcased how dangerous he could be even with minimal swing, seam or pace off the deck. A pinpoint bouncer managed to both rush Marcus Harris and cramp him for room. An unstoppable yorker, with a hint of reverse, burst through Travis Head.In between came the last ball before lunch, a devious, 113kph change-up that would go on to define not just this spell but all of Bumrah’s remarkable career. Shaun Marsh’s movements, tuned to Bumrah’s regular 140 kph rhythm, were entirely out of step with this ball out of a slow-motion nightmare. Fixated on a front leg that moved too far across and far too early, it dipped late to miss the cue end of the bat and pinged the pad on the full, plumb in front.By Karthik KrishnaswamyWatch the highlights of these performances on the Star Sports network at 10am, 1pm, 4pm and 7pm IST, from October 30 onwards.Cheteshwar Pujara was the rock Australia could not budge in Adelaide•Getty Images and Cricket Australia

Cheteshwar Pujara – 123 and 71 in Adelaide, 2018

India won by 31 runs, lead series 1-0Mitchell Starc was swinging the ball again. At 145 kph. Some of the quickest bowling ever seen in Australia in 2018 had India 127 for 6 on the first day of a long tour. But it still wasn’t enough to dislodge Cheteshwar Pujara. It barely even made a dent. In an age where batting is nothing if it doesn’t look sexy, one man stood up to show the world that “when you defend confidently you know you are in command, you are on top of the bowler, and he doesn’t have a chance to get you out.”Pujara batted for more than six hours to contribute 123 to India’s first-innings total of 250 in Adelaide. He then wore Australia down for nearly another five hours in the second innings; his 71 putting India on course to set a target of over 300. They won by 31 runs, and went on to take the series 2-1, their first ever triumph on Australian soil.
By Alagappan Muthu

She has always been a matchwinner, but with the addition of her early intent, she has leveled up once more

S Sudarshanan12-Mar-20256:16

Mithali Raj: Harmanpreet finds a way to score against Giants

Harmanpreet Kaur is among the few batters in the women’s game who do not need a free hit to get going. When she got one in Mumbai Indians’ (MI) opening match of WPL 2025, she took full toll. She waltzed down the track and smacked Radha Yadav over the long-off boundary for a 74-metre hit. It was just the ninth ball Harmanpreet had faced; little did we know it was a sign of things to come.Ever since Harmanpreet’s international debut in 2009, her strokeplay has attracted attention. Her unfettered bat-swing is a thing of beauty and there is something alluring about watching her play without the stress of keeping up with the chase. Her confidence, and the fact that she comes through more often than not, makes it seem like the bowlers are under ten times more pressure.However, with captaincy comes responsibility, so much so that batters sometimes end up curbing their attacking instincts far too much. It seemed to be the case with Harmanpreet in recent times. In the aftermath of India’s early exit from the T20 World Cup in 2024, focus shifted to the shots she can play to why she wasn’t playing them. Her first-ten-ball strike rate in T20Is had fallen to 83.56 in 2024, her lowest in three years.Related

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• Harmanpreet: 'If a player can handle the pressure in the WPL, they can handle it anywhere'

• Priya Mishra spins her way into the spotlight

Like India, MI rely hugely on Harmanpreet, and Nat Sciver-Brunt. The team’s results often mirror the duo’s performances, which does explain Harmanpreet’s safety-first approach with the bat and that method did deliver them a WPL trophy – MI won the inaugural season – but it wasn’t entirely foolproof.MI narrowly missed out on a spot in the final in 2024. That five-run defeat to Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the eliminator hurt her. She scored a 30-ball 33 and fell leaving MI needing 16 off 12. The remaining batters could not get those runs.Only a game before that, Harmanpreet had found herself in a similar situation, but that time she had escaped, thanks to some sloppy fielding from the opposition. MI needed 91 off 36 balls against Gujarat Giants (GG) to make the playoffs; Harmanpreet was on 20 off 21 before she was dropped. She blasted 95 not out off 48 balls to take MI over the line. Harmanpreet’s method of taking it deep was seemingly counter-productive, especially if she fell before landing the killer blow.Harmanpreet was dejected after MI’s loss in last season’s WPL eliminator•PTI Ahead of WPL 2025, Harmanpreet and Devika Palshikar, MI’s batting coach, had a chat about changing her approach. The conversation stemmed from the narrow defeat that ended their campaign last season, and the idea was for Harmanpreet to attack from an early point, but not recklessly. It is still a work in progress – and therefore liable to backfire – but there is no denying that it is making one of the world’s most dangerous batters dangerous again. Her first-ten-ball strike rate in WPL 2025 is 122.58, which is a massive jump from 93.98 in 2024 and 73.68 in 2023.That six off Radha was the earliest point Harmanpreet has hit one in the WPL. In the same game, she hit the first four balls of the 11th over, bowled by Annabel Sutherland, for 4, 4, 6, 4 but was out on the following delivery.Aggression like this always has a trade-off. In the first two seasons of the WPL, when Harmanpreet took fewer risks, she was dismissed inside 20 balls five times in 16 innings. She has already matched that now in 2025. But her team is still in the playoffs and she is their third-highest run-getter. The price she is paying seems to be worthwhile.”We’re finding her much better this season,” Palshikar said after Harmanpreet’s Player-of-the-Match effort against GG in Mumbai earlier this week. “If you remember last year’s Eliminator, which we lost by five runs, it was a close game. We had a long chat then and before starting this season that one of Nat and Harman should be there throughout the innings. She practises a lot against spin also and pace also. It is a very focused practice, where she knows she needs to be there till the end. She is finding ways to do that and that’s why you can see a major difference in her batting.”Looks like Harmanpreet is trying to do both but with an increased focus on getting off the blocks quickly. She has always been a matchwinner. But this season, she has been pushing herself even harder, testing the limits of her talent, and it has led to a situation where one of the world’s best hitters has realised she doesn’t really need to hold back like she did before.

Also: who was the youngest IPL centurion before Vaibhav Suryavanshi?

Steven Lynch06-May-2025Mehidy Hasan Miraz reached a century and later that day took five wickets against Zimbabwe. Has anyone else done this? asked Sameed Quasem from Bangladesh
On the third (and last) day of the second Test against Zimbabwe in Chattogram last week, Bangladesh’s Mehidy Hasan took his overnight score of 16 to 104, then claimed 5 for 32 as his side levelled the series with a comfortable victory.This combination of 88 runs and five wickets is arguably the best all-round performance on a single day of a Test, although there’s a contender from the mists of time: back in April 1899, South Africa’s Jimmy Sinclair took 6 for 26 on the first day against England in Cape Town, then scored the first 59 runs of an eventual 106, his country’s first Test century. For the list of those who have scored a hundred and taken a five-for in the same Test (not on the same day), click here.Who was the youngest IPL centurion before Vaibhav Suryavanshi? asked Rajesh Rao from India
The precocious Vaibhav Suryavanshi was just 32 days past his 14th birthday when he zoomed to a 35-ball century for Rajasthan Royals against Gujarat Titans in Jaipur a little over a week ago. Assuming his published date of birth is correct, he shattered the previous IPL record by more than five years: Manish Pandey was 19 years 253 days old when he hit 114 not out for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Deccan Chargers in Centurion in May 2009.Liam Livingstone has hit more sixes than fours in T20 internationals. Is this unique? asked Deepak Krishnan from India
So far, the England batter Liam Livingstone has scored 995 runs in T20Is, with 54 fours and 59 sixes. But there are some others with more runs and a similar preference for sixes: the West Indian Rovman Powell (1747 runs in T20Is) has hit 99 fours but 117 sixes so far, while Kieron Pollard (1569 runs) hit 94 fours and 99 sixes and another West Indian, Andre Russell, 63 fours and 89 sixes in 1063 runs.Babar Hayat of Hong Kong (2068 runs) has so far hit 126 fours and 126 sixes in T20Is, while others who might flip the balance one day are the West Indians Nicholas Pooran (2275 runs, 152 fours, 149 sixes) and Evin Lewis (1643 runs, 125 fours, 124 sixes).In all T20 cricket, three of the top four six-hitters have collected more sixes than fours: Pollard 908 and 842, Russell 738 and 601, and Pooran 633 and 607. Another West Indian, Chris Gayle, who is well clear at the top of the overall run-scorers’ list, almost managed it: his 14,562 runs in all T20 matches included 1132 fours and 1056 sixes.Ravindra Jadeja is the only player to score three triple-hundreds in the Ranji Trophy•PTI I noticed that Ravi Jadeja has scored three triple-centuries in the Ranji Trophy. Has anyone else done this? asked Mukul Pandit from India
There have so far been 55 triple-centuries in India’s Ranji Trophy (that includes the 443 not out of Bhausaheb Nimbalkar in Poona in December 1948). And you’re right that Ravi Jadeja has scored three of them, all for Saurashtra: 331 against Railways in Rajkot in December 2012, 314 vs Orissa in Cuttack in November 2011, and 303 not out against Gujarat in Surat in November 2012.Jadeja is the only man to score three triple-centuries in the Ranji Trophy. There are four others with two: Cheteshwar Pujara (also for Saurashtra), VVS Laxman for Hyderabad, Wasim Jaffer for Mumbai, and Taruwar Kohli, who made 300 not out for Punjab against Jharkhand in Jamshedpur in January 2013, and 307 not out for Mizoram vs Arunachal Pradesh in Puducherry in December 2019.Has anyone ever been caught and bowled twice by the same bowler in a Test? asked Peter Maxwell from England
This has happened *four times in all, but not very recently – the last such instance was in January 1961, when Australia’s captain Richie Benaud was caught and bowled in both innings in Sydney by the West Indian slow left-armer Alf Valentine. Before that, Everton Weekes of West Indies was caught and bowled twice by India’s Ghulam Ahmed in Calcutta (now Kolkata) in 1948-49 – Weekes had the consolation of having scored 162 and 101 – while in Melbourne in 1950-51 Australia’s Keith Miller gave return catches in both innings to England’s captain Freddie Brown. The first such instance was also in Melbourne, way back in January 1885: John Trumble, who was making his debut for Australia, was caught and bowled twice by the England seamer Billy Barnes.There are a further 18 instances of batters being caught and bowled in both innings, but by different bowlers: the most recent was Bangladesh’s Shoriful Islam (dismissed by Vishwa Fernando and Kasun Rajitha of Sri Lanka) in Sylhet in March 2024.Use our feedback form, or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questions02.02GMT, May 7, 2025: This answer said “three” previously. The first instance, featuring John Trumble and Billy Barnes, was added on.

The seamers, in particular, have had to deal with a heavy workload, bowling 1105.2 overs in four Tests

Shubh Agarwal30-Jul-20252:08

How do India’s five regulars cope with the quick turnaround?

3 – Of the 26 five-match Test series played in the 21st century, only three times has play gone into day five in each of the five Test matches. The most recent such series was the 2017-18 Ashes in Australia, which Australia won 4-0. The other two instances were in the 2000s – South Africa’s tour of the West Indies in 2000-01 and England’s tour of South Africa in 2004-05. Notably, the first day of the fifth Test of the 2004-05 series was washed out.Five days of cricket in the upcoming Oval Test will make it only the fourth such series since the turn of the century.1566.3 – Number of overs bowled in this series, the third-highest in the first four Tests of a series since 2002, only 27 and 13 overs short of Australia’s tour of India in 2008-09 and India’s tour of Australia in 2014-15, respectively. In England, it is the highest.No series since 2002 has seen 2000 overs being bowled irrespective of the number of matches played. If the fifth Test between England and India reaches the final session on day five with a healthy over rate, then this could be the first series with over 2000 overs bowled. The record for most overs bowled in a series since 2002 is 1989.4 overs in England’s five-match Test series in India in the 2016-17 season.ESPNcricinfo Ltd391.3 – The ongoing England-India series averages 391.3 overs per Test, which is the fourth-highest for a series of four matches or more since 2002. Again, it is the highest overs per Test recorded in a series in England.4 – All the four Tests of the ongoing series have lasted more than 350 overs, the joint-second-most since 2002. A further 350 overs of cricket in the fifth Test at the Oval will level this series with Ashes 2017-18 for most matches lasting 350-overs in a series.In a similar vein, this series has had 12 innings lasting more than 80 overs, again the joint-second-most and only one behind England’s tour of India in 2016-17.12 – The number of times a team has scored 350 or more in this series across the 15 innings played. In only four matches, the series has topped the list for most 350-plus team totals, leaving behind some five-match series – the Ashes in 1928-29 and 1948 (ten 350-plus team totals each), India’s tour of the West Indies in 1970-71, South Africa’s tour of England in 2003 (nine each).ESPNcricinfo Ltd17 – The number of century partnerships in this series, the joint-most in a series since 2000, alongside the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in 2003-04. But the long spells between wickets have been more painful for the bowlers.There have been 15 partnerships in the series that have lasted more than 180 balls, that is 30 overs of play, approximately translating to the span of a session. It is the joint-fourth-most number of partnerships spanning over 180 balls (where the data is available since 2000).Hence, dismissing a set batter has been a laborious task. Eighteen of the 40 50-plus scores have been converted into hundreds. The 50 to 100 conversion rate in the series is 45%, second only to the 50% conversion rate in Australia’s tour of the West Indies in 1955 (among series with 35 or more 50-plus scores).1105.2 – Number of overs sent down by pacers in the series, bowling over a little more than 70% of the overs. It is the second-most bowled by fast bowlers in the first four Tests of the series since 2005. Only the Ashes series in 2017-18 had a greater bowling workload for pacers in the first four Tests (1133.2 overs).

A 2-2 draw in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy has boosted the 25-year-old’s belief in himself

Nagraj Gollapudi05-Aug-20253:23

Bangar: Gill, the leader, gained confidence through the series

As soon as Chris Woakes came out to bat on Monday morning, Shubman Gill and Mohammed Siraj had a quick chat and agreed to deny Gus Atkinson the single on the last ball of the 84th over which would allow Prasidh Krishna to have a crack from the Vauxhall end at the England allrounder who had walked out, broken arm in a sling, aiming to bat left-handed. Gill asked Siraj to bowl a wide yorker outside off stump to prevent Atkinson from getting bat on ball. The other key element of the plan was for Gill to ask wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel to take off his right glove and be alert for a throw at the stumps in case the batters attempted a bye.Siraj delivered his end of the bargain, Atkinson failed to connect, and both batters set off for the bye. Jurel, though, never took off his glove and his throw was too slow and wide off the stumps, which left India’s best fast bowler in this series highly annoyed. “”, [did you not tell him the plan?], Siraj asked Gill, staring wide-eyed, with a heaving chest. Siraj would continue staring in disbelief at Jurel, who sheepishly jogged to the other end.Gill would explain after the match why the plan did not take off, with Siraj now chuckling beside him: “He told me to tell Dhruv to take off his gloves to get the run out. By the time I told Dhruv, he (Siraj) was already running in to bowl. So Dhruv didn’t have enough time to drop his gloves and he missed. That’s why he said to me why did you not tell him.”Related

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In the subsequent overs, until he smashed Atkinson’s off stump, Siraj and Prasidh would stick to the same plan on the last ball even as Gill persisted with eight fielders on the boundary. Gill would go on to explain why he did not want to bring in the fielders in for the last ball to Atkinson.”We felt even in the second-last ball or last ball, we felt if we go wide yorker there’s a chance of him (Atkinson) missing, which he did in the first one – Dhruv missed the stumps, which happens. But that was the plan that they have to score. We wanted them to take on the fielders and score in boundaries rather than bringing the field inside and they hit a boundary. We didn’t want them to achieve it in one shot. We wanted them to hit maybe two or three shots to be able to achieve the runs because that, I felt, gave us the best probability to be able [to strike], for them to make a mistake and for us to win the match.”

****

Shubman Gill, as captain, has allowed his players to put their own plans in place•Associated PressThree overs prior to the end of an absorbing first hour on day four, the 25th of England’s innings, Siraj asked Gill to have Ravindra Jadeja at backward point. Gill, on second thought, placed Jadeja to deep point. Siraj was not impressed only because he didn’t want Joe Root to get off strike. Root had just walked in the previous over to replace Ben Duckett. England were 83 for 2 and Siraj’s plan was to shackle Root and not allow him the dab, one of his go-to shots. Root picked up two easy singles in that over, opening the face of the bat and guiding the ball behind square. Before the start of the final over before the first drinks break, Siraj, with both hands raised to his face, pleaded with Gill to bring Jadeja inside the circle. Gill acquiesced. Siraj bowled a maiden and nearly induced an outside edge.”I told him let’s keep the point fielder inside the circle,” Siraj said on Monday, “but he told me let him go for his strokes as that could result in a wicket and the match could turn in our favour. His thinking was also right because at that moment he was thinking like a batsman.”

****

While Gill has convinced everyone during the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy that captaincy does not affect his run-scoring, there have been questions about other aspects of his leadership. Is he good at reading the situation? Is he a good tactician? Can he communicate clearly with his bowlers?The above incidents are just two examples that give us a slightly better understanding of Gill’s captaincy. They show Gill has his own thoughts but is equally receptive to what his players have to say. Siraj has played with Gill since their India A days and is a contemporary. Both of them also play for Gujarat Titans in the IPL where Gill has been captain since 2024, with Siraj joining in 2025. “There is a mutual understanding between us,” Siraj said. “Our communication is very clear. I’m very happy about his growth.”Shubman Gill’s batting improved with captaincy•AFP/Getty ImagesGiven this was his first Test series as captain, Gill acknowledges he has a lot to learn but at the same time he is happy with the way he has juggled his responsibilities: “There are some things that me and as a team we definitely need to work on. And I kind of have more clarity on the areas that we need to work on as a team. And I have more clarity where personally I need to work on as a captain. There would always be opinions, and, in hindsight I could have done this, could have done that, but what matters for me is whether I’m taking the best possible decision in that moment and as long as I’m able to do that, I think the probability [of a win] would be on us and that’s what I want to do.”What Gill is telling us is he is not going to be affected by outside chatter about his captaincy. He says he is bold enough to take the “shots” fired at him. There was noise about India selecting only three fast bowlers for a green pitch at The Oval where overcast conditions were predicted for all five days. Gill took that on board and explained why he went a different way.”Even in this match a lot of people were saying we could have played a fourth specialist bowler, but the guy who played instead of the fourth seamer – Karun Nair, his fifty in the first innings was equally important for us which helped us to get a decent total. You have to understand and weigh what is the most important. We thought on this wicket, three fast bowlers would be able to do the job for us and they delivered. When your decision goes well people praise you and when it doesn’t, I am aware that there are going to be shots taken at me which I am fine with because at the end of the day I know that I made a decision which is best for the team.”There were times in this series that Gill had let his emotions run away with him. Day three at Lord’s highlighted that. But day five at The Oval, when everything was on the line, he was ice-cold. And that is why members of the Indian team’s think tank chose him to succeed Rohit Sharma as Test captain. Gill spoke about the things that helped him deal with pressure in a series that was nothing but pressure. “If you are thinking about someone else then the pressure on you goes away,” he said. “Even in captaincy when I was batting in this series because I was always thinking what more can I do for the team and if a player is playing low, what can I do. That helps me to take away the pressure off myself.”For Gill and India, this series has been epoch-making. We don’t know whether he jots stuff down in his journal, but there are a lot of learnings he will be taking back home. But his core thought process remains intact, to stay balanced, and that, Gill said, will help him grow as a leader. “You should be able to navigate through the highs and lows of life and try to stay balanced throughout. That’s what at least I believe in, that I want to be able to stay balanced whether we have won the match, lost the match, I’ve done well or I have not done well. It’s difficult but it’s a process. That’s the real journey, to be able to stay balanced and I’m still learning but so far so good.”