Venkatesh Iyer's dazzling 151 continues his dream run

KS Bharat wallops a match-winning 161 for Andhra while Nagaland crash to 48 all out against Tripura

Himanshu Agrawal12-Dec-2021

Iyer’s blitz downs Vohra, Kaushik’s centuries

Iyer arrived when Madhya Pradesh were 56 for 4, and added 122 with his captain Aditya Shrivastava, who departed after hitting 70. Cameos from the lower order propelled them to 331, but Iyer did most of the heavy lifting as the last five overs of the innings yielded a whopping 70 runs. Chandigarh were in turn reduced to 77 for 3 in the chase before captain Manan Vohra and Ankit Kaushik added 166. While Vohra fell for 105 and Kaushik hit 111, no other notable contribution meant Chandigarh fell short despite the tail threatening to stage an upset.

Dhawan fails again, Bharat shines, Pandey dips

In the midst of a competition for places in the Indian top-order, Shikhar Dhawan fell for 18 against Haryana. This follows on from the 0, 12 and 14 he got in the previous three matches. But despite that batting wobble, Delhi managed to inch past the opposition by 10 runs, thanks to Jonty Sidhu’s century and Anuj Rawat’s unbeaten 16-ball 44.Just days after being left out of India’s Test squad for the South Africa tour, Andhra captain KS Bharat kept knocking on the India selectors’ doors with 161 off just 109 balls against Himachal Pradesh. Accompanied by Ashwin Hebbar’s hundred, Andhra posted 322 to win by 30 runs in Mumbai.Meanwhile, Karnataka captain Manish Pandey had started the tournament with respectable scores of 64* and 40, but followed it up with 5 against Mumbai on Saturday and 19 in a paltry chase against Baroda on Sunday.Washington Sundar picked up a five-wicket haul for Tamil Nadu, but it went in vain•Getty Images

Youngsters Abhishek, Nagarkoti, Bishnoi and Parag deliver

Punjab opener Abhishek Sharma cracked a career-best 169* from 117 balls, as they eased past Services, who set them 261 to win. Abhishek’s innings featured 17 fours and nine sixes, ensuring Punjab romped home by nine wickets and more than 12 overs in the bank. Also, Rajasthan crushed Assam by 142 runs following centuries from Manender Singh and Mahipal Lomror, before legspinner Ravi Bishnoi and fast bowler Kamlesh Nagarkoti combined to share seven wickets in the defense. Bishnoi, who claimed 4 for 45, ripped through the middle and lower orders after Nagarkoti’s twin early blows. The Assam batters struggled to keep up in a tall chase, with Riyan Parag top scoring with 51 from only 28 deliveries.

Sundar’s five in vain; Nagaland’s low

Washington Sundar nabbed his best List A figures of 5 for 48, as Tamil Nadu restricted Puducherry to 225. However, the effort went in vain after the match was truncated to 44 overs, in which Tamil Nadu were to get 205 but fell short by one run. They were 159 for 3 after 35 overs but lost their way once half-centurions N Jagadeesan and Dinesh Karthik were dismissed.In a Plate Group match in Jaipur, Nagaland were skittled for 48 as Tripura’s Manisankar Murasingh grabbed 5 for 19, with only Imliwati Lemtur getting into double-figures. Six out of the 11 batters were dismissed for ducks, before the Tripura openers knocked off the target with 239 balls to spare.

Tom Clark 139 paves way as Sussex seal one-wicket thriller

Lancashire rack up 338 for 7 in Hove sunshine but valiant defence falls at final hurdle

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay15-Aug-2025Sussex 342 for 9 (Clark 139, Haines 90, Barnard 4-56) beat Lancashire 338 for 7 (Jones 82, Singh 74, Bell 66, Crocombe 3-61) by one wicketSussex Sharks’ hopes of progressing to the knockout stages of the Metro Bank One-Day Cup are alive after they squeezed past Lancashire by one wicket with three balls to spare in a thriller at Hove.Chasing 339, Tom Clark’s 139 and Tom Haines (90) appeared to have done the hard bit by adding 232 in 32 overs – a new second-wicket record in 50 overs cricket for the county – to leave 98 needed from 17 overs with eight wickets in hand.Instead, they collapsed in a flurry of poor shots to lose six wickets for 27 runs in 47 balls. When Archie Lenham was eighth out Sussex needed 39 from 27 balls but Jack Carson and Henry Crocombe held their nerve. Carson hit Charlie Barnard straight for six in the 48th over before launching Tom Bailey over midwicket and out of the ground in the next.With one to win there was another twist when Crocombe was lbw to left-arm spinner Barnard off the second delivery of the final over. But last man Sean Hunt bunted the next ball back over Barnard’s head to seal Sussex’s second win in four Group B games.Lancashire were in a good position at halfway after openers Michael Jones and George Bell put on 157 before Harry Singh’s 74 took them to their highest 50 overs total against Sussex.George Balderson picked up Charlie Tear with his second ball, but Clark and Haines then took control. The two left-handers didn’t offer a chance until Clark, on 120, top-edged a sweep but Barnard, running in from midwicket, couldn’t hold on as he dived forward.Clark deserved that fortune given the quality of his stroke play, particularly his inside-out driving through the off and his ability to find the gaps on the leg side. The 24-year-old can seldom have batted with more freedom in any format for his county. None of the seven bowlers employed could tie either of them down until a tired Clark was bowled by offspinner Arav Shetty in the 34th over. He faced 109 balls and hit 16 fours and five sixes.With an end to attack Lancashire were transformed. Shetty, in only his third List A game, finished with 3 for 51 while 20-year-old Barnard, who conceded 23 in his first two overs, ended up with 4 for 56.Lancashire’s 338 for 7 was underpinned by a fine opening stand of 157 in 25 overs by Jones and Bell, a new List A best against Sussex for the first wicket, beating David Lloyd and Farokh Engineer’s 146 at Blackpool in 1976.Jones was the more aggressive, hitting three sixes in his 77-ball 82 before he mistimed a drive at legspinner Lenham and was caught at extra at cover. Bell played nicely for his 66 off 74 balls until he mistimed a sweep at offspinner Carson. Between them Sussex’s two slow bowlers took a respectable 3 for 90 in 18 overs in batter-friendly conditions, but it was harder work for their seam attack on a sweltering afternoon.Left-armer Hunt returned after nearly three months out and picked up a wicket and there were two in two balls for Crocombe, who finished with 3 for 61, but 21-year-old Singh propelled Lancashire beyond 300 with some very impressive ball-striking and placement, hitting five sixes in his 61-ball 74 which was a career best to boot.

Chameera and Mathews to join Sri Lanka's World Cup squad as reserves

They are the only team without a win in the World Cup so far, having lost their first three games

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Oct-2023Allrounder Angelo Mathews and fast bowler Dushmantha Chameera will join Sri Lanka’s World Cup squad as travelling reserves.They are expected to link up with the team on Friday, ahead of Sri Lanka’s fourth league game against Netherlands in Lucknow on Saturday, but can only be drafted into the squad in case of an injury to a player. Fast bowler Matheesha Pathirana had missed their previous game because of a shoulder niggle.Sri Lanka are presently at the bottom of the points table, having lost their first three games against South Africa, Pakistan and Australia; they are the only side without a win in the tournament so far.Their captain Dasun Shanaka has already been ruled out of the tournament with a quadriceps tear, an injury that needs a recovery period of around three weeks, and he was replaced by allrounder Chamika Karunaratne. Kusal Mendis captained Sri Lanka against Australia in Shanaka’s absence.Chameera, 31, would have been a first-choice pick in Sri Lanka’s World Cup squad but was not fit enough for selection by the deadline. He last played for Sri Lanka in June against Afghanistan and in the warm-ups of the World Cup qualifier. After that, he was initially out with a torn pectoral muscle, which he suffered ahead of the World Cup qualifier in Zimbabwe. And, after recovering from that, he injured himself again in the Lanka Premier League in August.Mathews has not played an ODI since the first game of the home series against Afghanistan in June, and he last played for Sri Lanka in the Colombo Test against Pakistan in July. Sri Lanka are also without legspinner Wanindu Hasaranga, who was ruled out of the World Cup with an injury.

Alex Blake haunts Hampshire again as Kent seal two-wicket victory

Coming in at 41 for 4, left-hander smashes Chris Wood for two final-over sixes to seal consecutive wins for Kent

ECB Reporters Network21-Jul-2019
Alex Blake dragged Kent Spitfires to an incredible two-wicket Vitality Blast victory over Hampshire to replicate his 2015 heroics.Big-hitting Blake powered 57 off 38 balls to maintain the Spitfires’ 100 per cent record in the competition, having come to the crease with his side in dire straits.Four years ago, Blake left the Ageas Bowl open-mouthed as he crashed 71 in 30 balls, having arrived at the crease at 70 for 5 chasing 178.On this occasion, the 30-year-old walked out at 41 for 4, still requiring 105, and took Kent over the line by striking back-to-back sixes from the final Chris Wood over to secure two points from a tight encounter with a ball to spare.”I obviously have good memories here like that game in 2015 and like playing here,” said Blake. “David Griffiths, who was a Kent and Hampshire player, sent me a [photo] of after the 2015 game when we were in the changing room with champagne earlier, and said ‘same again today’ which jogged my memory.”I was struggling against the spin but we were saying out there that if we could set it up towards the end then you never know if you could sneak over the line. You are never out of the game, and I have the confidence that I can clear the ropes.”After Hampshire had scored a par 145 from their overs, Kent lost stand-in captain Daniel Bell-Drummond to the fifth ball of the reply when he chopped Chris Wood behind.Ollie Robinson clubbed Liam Dawson, returning after being unused in England’s World Cup campaign, over the midwicket boundary but only picked out Aneurin Donald when attempting an action replay.The Spitfires were then stunned to 32 for three when overseas star Mohammad Nabi mistimed a pull off Kyle Abbott to Vince at mid-off.Abbott, who only played three times in last season’s Blast, picked up a quick-fire second when Zak Crawley leading edged to mid-on.The slide continued when Sean Dickson was stumped off Mason Crane, although Blake powered the legspinner to two straight sixes to keep the run-rate manageable.At the other end, Dawson pinned Jordan Cox lbw, Abbott bowled Adam Milne, Chris Morris caught and bowled Hardus Vijoen but Blake was still there.And with 16 needed from the last over Hampshire were still favourites.But two twos and a pair of enormous straight sixes sent Blake running around in delight.Earlier, Hampshire elected to bat first in front of the Ageas Bowl’s highest domestic crowd for two years, with around 10,000 packing the ground including thousands of youngsters on All Stars Day.They weren’t treated to an electric start from Rilee Rossouw and Aneurin Donald as the former was dropped at midwicket.Donald did smash Hampshire’s first maximum of the competition, over fine leg, but departed next ball when he skied straight up in the air, before Rossouw nicked off.James Vince proved his hangover had abated a week after the thrilling World Cup final at Lord’s when he drove and then cut his first two deliveries the boundary.The Hampshire skipper then dispatched two sixes off an Imran Qayyum over as he reached 29th T20 fifty in 33 balls.But two balls later he handed Nabi a caught and bowled which the hosts failed to recover from.Fred Klaassen, who dismissed James Fuller and Sam Northeast in consecutive balls, and Viljoen ended with figures of two for 27 and two for 20 respectively as Kent strangled Hampshire – with only 42 runs coming in the last six-and-a-half overs.

Schutt: Australia 'thrive' on the favourites tag

The pace bowler expects a much better showing from New Zealand than they managed against England

AAP06-Aug-2022″We want to hold all the jewellery.”In seven short words, fast bowler Megan Schutt has delivered an insight into the mindset driving Australia towards dizzying new heights.They go into Saturday’s Commonwealth Games semi-final against New Zealand knowing they are just two wins away from setting a new benchmark for limited-overs success, as they look to add a gold medal to a glut of T20 and ODI World Cup triumphs. This is a team driven to succeed, and happy to embrace all that comes with it.”We’re coming in as favourites, but we come in expecting to win every single game we play and have been the favourites for a lot of tournaments now, so we’re kind of used to it,” Schutt said. “It’s a tag that we’re humbled by. We are the favourites but we thrive on that.”They also thrive on avenging missed opportunities. Cricket’s reintroduction to the Games is the 10th major limited-overs tournament for Australia since 2010, and they have won seven of the previous nine, a run that includes five T20 World Cup crowns.But while the wins are what define this team as one of the greatest national teams of all time, it is the losses – like the upset against the West Indies in the 2016 T20 World Cup final and the ODI World Cup semi-final loss to India in 2017 – that provide the motivation.”There are obviously two tournaments in the past that have haunted us, and something that kind of reinvigorated our team is that 2017 loss,” Schutt said. “We do talk about that a lot, that has been a new era for us.”Losses drive you forward and for us we want to win every single game that we play, we want to win every major championship. It’s about getting better and evolving as a team and each new tournament brings a new challenge.”On Saturday that challenge is New Zealand, who were well below par in their loss to England in Thursday night’s final pool game.New Zealand made just 71 off their 20 overs, a target England reeled in within 12 overs, with star duo Suzie Bates and skipper Sophie Devine both failing with the bat.”That was un-New Zealand like,” Schutt said of the heavy defeat. “They never turn up twice like that in a row and its T20 cricket where any team can win, so we certainly are not taking them lightly.”Saturday’s semi-final – which will be played on a traditional turf pitch at Edgbaston after hybrid surfaces were used during the preliminary rounds – is due to start at 1800 local time (Sunday 0300 AEST).

Rohit to miss first ODI against Australia, no vice-captain named for Test squad

Hardik to lead in Rohit’s absence; no changes in the red-ball squad for the remaining two Tests

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Feb-2023Rohit Sharma will miss the first ODI of the three-match series against Australia because of family commitments. In his absence, vice-captain Hardik Pandya will lead the side in Mumbai on March 17. This will be the first time Hardik will captain India in ODIs.There were no changes to the red-ball squad for the last two Tests of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy, where India have retained the trophy after taking a 2-0 lead. However, the selection committee, currently without a chairman after Chetan Sharma’s resignation, did not name a vice-captain; KL Rahul was Rohit’s deputy for the first two Tests but there have been concerns over his form. In his last five Tests, Rahul has 117 runs at an average of 13, with a best of 23.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Jaydev Unadkat, who was released ahead of the second Test for the Ranji Trophy final, is back in the squad. Earlier in the day, Unadkat led Saurashtra to their second Ranji title in three seasons. There was more good news for him: he found a place in India’s ODI side as well. He will be competing with Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Umran Malik and Shardul Thakur for a slot in the playing XI.Unadkat played the last of his seven ODIs back in 2013 but he has been on the selectors’ radar for quite some time now. ESPNcricinfo has learned that the selectors were impressed by his performance in the Vijay Hazare Trophy recently, where he was the highest wicket-taker with 19 scalps from ten games, and helped Saurashtra win the title.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Ravindra Jadeja, who made a dream comeback to Test cricket after a five-month layoff following a knee surgery, also returned to the ODI fold. So did Shreyas Iyer, after missing the ODIs against New Zealand and the first Test against Australia with a back injury. That meant there was no place for Shahbaz Ahmed and Rajat Patidar who were part of the ODI squad for the New Zealand series.Jasprit Bumrah continued to miss out as he recovers from his back injury.India’s Test squad for third and fourth Tests against Australia: Rohit Sharma (capt), KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, KS Bharat (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), R Ashwin, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Umesh Yadav, Jaydev UnadkatIndia’s squad for ODIs against Australia: Rohit Sharma (capt), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya (vice-capt), Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Umran Malik, Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel, Jaydev Unadkat

Political developments put Zaka Ashraf's PCB future under a cloud

Pakistan’s IPC ministry asks for “immediate termination of services of all heads of institutions appointed on political basis”

Danyal Rasool23-Aug-2023Political developments could make their impact felt on the PCB yet again after Pakistan’s Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC) ministry sent a note to the Prime Minister’s office that places the spotlight on the future of PCB head Zaka Ashraf.The letter references guidelines issued by the Election Commission of Pakistan, asking to “ensure immediate termination of services of all heads of institutions appointed on political basis and to send all such cases to the commission for approval of termination or otherwise”. Ashraf is highlighted as the first such case worthy of consideration, denoting him as a political appointee with the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).The letter was signed off by the secretary of the IPC, Ahmed Orakzai, on August 15, and was addressed to the caretaker government, but only came to light a week later. The caretaker Prime Minister, Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar, was appointed the day before the communication was written. It is worth noting that the IPC, the ministry which sent the note to the PM’s office, does not currently have a sitting minister and in such cases, the PM assumes temporary charge of the ministry; effectively, Kakar is head of the ministry that issued the letter, as well as the one that received it.While caretaker governments have historically shown little desire to interfere with the workings of the PCB, there are reasons to believe it could be different this time around. The primary task of caretaker governments in Pakistan is to facilitate conditions for elections to be held within 90 days. But days after the caretaker government was set up, the Election Commission of Pakistan announced that elections scheduled for no later than November would be postponed by several months. That means this caretaker government could take on the role of a regular government, and make decisions on a wider remit of things beyond just election preparations.While the note was issued over a week ago, serious ramifications have not yet been felt at the PCB. The board officials are confident that Ashraf’s position remains safe, and ESPNcricinfo understands that the government had offered the current PCB setup assurances they were not looking to bring about changes at the top. A PCB source criticised what it called “the recent campaign against the PCB’s head” as “malafide”, and said it was intended “to destabilise Pakistan cricket”.It has been pointed out that Ashraf resigned from the PPP on June 19, and therefore could not be considered a political appointee. It was also pointed out that the PCB has never played any part in Pakistan’s national or federal elections, and thus no caretaker government had any cause to make changes at the board.Ashraf was approved as head of a management committee by former PM Shahbaz Sharif to take charge at the PCB for a period of four months in July, after Najam Sethi resigned from the position. At the time, the political implications of the move were significant, with Sethi specifically citing a desire not to cause a rift between the PML(N)’s leader Shahbaz Sharif, and the PPP leader Asif Zardari, with the latter preferring Ashraf to Sethi as PCB head.In the coalition between the two parties, the sports ministry was held by Zardari’s PPP government, who insisted that meant they had the right to appoint a PCB head of choice. Two weeks later, Ashraf assumed charge at the helm of the PCB.

Michael Hogan sets up emphatic Kent win over Gloucestershire

Joe Denly and a belligerent Jordan Cox canter past meagre target at Canterbury

ECB Reporters Network24-May-2023A near full house at Canterbury saw the Kent Spitfires rout Gloucestershire by seven wickets in their opening Vitality Blast fixture of 2023.The 2021 Champions cruised home with 6.3 overs to spare, closing on 116 for 3 in reply to the visitors’ meagre 113 all out.Michael Hogan took 3 for 13 while Grant Stewart, Jack Leaning and Kane Richardson all took two apiece as the visitors collapsed from 82 for 3 in 16.3 overs. Chris Dent was the visitors’ top scorer with 55, but none of his team-mates made more than 12.Tom Smith claimed 3 for 22 but it was a chastening evening for Goucestershire. Joe Denly anchored Kent’s reply an unbeaten 35 before Jordan Cox stole the show by clubbing 39 from 17 balls, including a huge six for the winning runs.With more than 3700 spectators packed into the Spitfire Ground and standing room only on the bankings, Gloucestershire chose to bat.Hogan struck early, getting Grant Roelofsen caught on the boundary by Joey Evison in the second over, although the momentum was back with the visitors when Kane Richardson’s first over as a Spitfire went for 19.Leaning then bowled Miles Hammond for 9 but Dent hit successive sixes in George Linde’s first over, only for Gloucestershire to lose their last seven wickets for just 31 runs.Leaning had Ollie Price caught at long off by Richardson for 12 and although Dent reached fifty when he glanced Leaning for four, Hogan started the collapse when he took two wickets in the tenth over. Dent fell to an acrobatic catch by Sam Billings, who was back behind the stumps after handing Cox the gloves for the last two Championship games, before Jack Taylor offered the wicketkeeper a dolly.Denly ran out Zafar Gohar for 8 before James Bracey swiped Stewart to the square leg boundary, where he was caught by Leaning for 7.Two balls later, Stewart bowled Paul van Meekeren for a duck and although Smith just survived the next delivery, he was out for four when he chipped Richardson to Cox.Richardson then wrapped up the innings with 21 balls to spare when he had David Payne caught behind for a golden duck.There was an early hiccup in the run chase when Tawanda Muyeye tried to drive Price and was caught by Hammond at mid-off for six but Kent were almost halfway to the target by the end of the powerplay, at 55 for 1.When Daniel Bell-Drummond was lbw to Smith for 27 it broke a 52-run partnership and Billings was then out for 6 when he tried to reverse-sweep Smith and fell to a juggling catch by Zafar, but that was as close as Kent came to a wobble.With the required run rate under four they didn’t need to take any risks but Cox seemed to be in a hurry, taking 17 from van Meekern in the 12th over, including a flicked six over backward square leg. He scrambled a single of the next ball to keep the strike and then smacked Zafar for a huge six over into the Cowdrey Stand to win the game.

West Indies rope in Monty Desai as batting coach

Desai, who has coaching experience of over 12 years, has joined the team on a two-year contract

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Dec-2019West Indies have appointed Monty Desai as the batting coach of the senior men’s team on a two-year contract.Desai, who has held coaching roles with Afghanistan, Nepal, Indian regional teams and IPL teams Rajasthan Royals and Gujarat Lions in a career of over 12 years, most recently worked with batsmen from the UAE and Canada.”I am very excited to join a team with such a rich history in the world cricket arena, one that I myself grew up admiring,” Desai said in a Cricket West Indies media statement. “I am very much looking forward to being part of a journey where I can help to create a winning work environment, learn and embrace a new culture, and build a ‘happy dressing room’ tradition alongside other excellent leaders.”I am eager to join forces with head coach Phil Simmons and director of cricket, Jimmy Adams, and our captains, such that I may contribute in every possible way to the success of our team.”Monty Desai at the Wankhede Stadium•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Desai joined head coach Simmons’ set-up, which includes bowling coach Roddy Estwick and fielding coach Rayon Griffith, ahead of the limited-overs series against India, which starts on December 6 in Hyderabad.”I have worked with Monty before and he is an excellent coach,” Simmons said. “He has proven he has the ability to get players to improve on their talent and also to perform better in matches. He has vast knowledge of the game and it is good he is starting here with us in India. I look forward to seeing him work with our batsmen in all formats as we look to get better in all areas.”Desai is the second Indian on the West Indies coaching staff after AR Srikkanth, who has been hired as the team analyst on a two-year deal. Srikkanth is one of the most senior analysts in T20 cricket, having been part of Kolkata Knight Riders for over a decade. He has also been part of teams in the CPL and BPL and is familiar with senior West Indian players who have featured in the IPL and the CPL, where he is the analyst with Trinbago Knight Riders.

Rohit on Bumrah's bowling workloads: 'We've been very careful'

The leading wicket-taker of the Test series has also bowled the most overs among seamers across both teams

Alagappan Muthu30-Dec-2024India have had Jasprit Bumrah bowling like few ever have in this Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He has 30 wickets at an average of 12.83. The rest have 36 wickets at 41.33. Soon after India lost the Melbourne Test, where the 31-year-old fast bowler picked up a five-for, and went 1-2 down with one Test to play, Rohit Sharma, the captain, was asked if there is a risk of over-bowling Bumrah.”Yeah, there is,” Rohit said. “To be honest, he has bowled a lot of overs. There is no doubt about it. But again, every Test match we play, we keep that in mind. You know, the workloads of all the bowlers in fact. But again, if somebody is in such a great form, you want to try and maximise that form how much ever you can. And that is what we’ve been trying to do with Bumrah.”But there comes a time where you need to step back a little bit and give him that little bit of extra breather as well. So, we’ve been very careful. I’ve been very careful. I talk to him about how he feels and stuff like that. So, yeah. Those things should be managed carefully. And I’m trying to do that on the field.”Related

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Bumrah’s 53.2 overs at the MCG are the most he’s ever bowled in a Test match. That’s taken his tally for the series to 141.2 which puts his workloads ahead of Pat Cummins (136.4) and Mitchell Starc (131.2) and Mohammed Siraj (129.1).India gave up one big, match-turning century in Adelaide, two in Brisbane and another one in Melbourne, not to mention a whirlwind fifty to a 19-year-old debutant on Boxing Day. Would India have posed more of a threat if they’d gone in with another frontline bowling option instead of packing the back-end of the XI with allrounders?”Look, Akash Deep (five wickets at 54) and Mohammed Siraj (16 wickets at 31) are the frontline seamers,” Rohit said. “It’s just that they’ve been very unfortunate not to be seen on the wicket column.”Siraj, especially, is bowling his heart out. I don’t think there’s anything else that he can do. Obviously, there are technical aspects of his game that he’s looking into. But other than that, in terms of his effort, his attitude, bowling those long spells, he’s always up there. It’s just that the wicket column doesn’t show how well he’s bowled.”So is Akash. In Brisbane and here, in both the games, he’s bowled really well. It’s just unfortunate that he couldn’t get the wickets under his name. It’s just everyone’s job to make sure that whoever plays needs to get the job done for the team. It’s not about one or two individuals.”India’s other seamer is Nitish Kumar Reddy and he admitted on Sunday that as well as his batting is going – he scored a maiden Test century which helped India recover from 191 for 6 in the first innings – he wanted to do more with the ball. Reddy has contributed only 35 of India’s 542.2 overs in their last four Tests.”When we saw him [Reddy] for the first time, we saw there’s a lot of potential, which is why he came here in the first place,” Rohit said. “And he’s come and shown here what he’s capable of. You know, with the bat, he was brilliant.”He understood the situation pretty well, read the situation pretty well. And he’s got solid technique as well. And superb mind, not to forget.””Right now it’s very hard to say the growth part because it’s only been four test matches for him but I hope that he plays for long enough for India in all forms.”

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