'That Will Raise Questions Internally': Gilchrist On IND's Poor Show vs NZ

Legendary Australian cricketer Adam Gilchrist feels that India may be under pressure to bounce back immediately during the five-Test Border-Gavaskar Trophy tour of Australia, after being whitewashed 3-0 at home by New Zealand. India suffered a 3-0 home Test series whitewash for the first time in history, and Gilchrist stated that questions may already be rising internally as to how India can react and respond to this situation. He even rose concern regarding how the experienced players in the squad may bounce back.

Gilchrist is certain that the series loss to New Zealand will scar the atmosphere of the Indian dressing room.

"It does (have an impact), more for the Indian players and the Indian team internally. They have to be asking themselves pretty hard questions,” said Gilchrist to FoxSports.

"I do think on the back of that loss and the fact that it was a clean sweep — I cannot remember when that's happened to them, just losing a series, let alone a clean sweep — I think that will raise some questions internally and the pressure and the expectation and the desire from a passionate cricketing nation to see that change around, that'll ride heavily on those shoulders of all those players," Gilchrist further added.

The series was a particularly rough one for India's most experienced cricketers. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli managed only 91 and 93 runs respectively in the entire series. Ravichandran Ashwin picked up only nine wickets in spin-friendly conditions, and Ravindra Jadeja's numbers were saved by a fabulous final Test.

“There are a few ageing players there who may start to even second guess themselves a little bit. There's some high class cricketers in that Indian squad. It's going to be fascinating to see how they rebound from that challenge," said Gilchrist.

Meanwhile, there have been reports that the Test future of the four senior players may be at risk.

"If India doesn't qualify for WTC final in England, one can be rest assured that all four super seniors won't be on that flight to UK for the ensuing five-Test series. In any case, all four have likely played their final Test at home together," a senior BCCI source told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

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Gambhir Changing Dravid-Era 'Pitch' Tactic Led To NZ Defeat? Report Says...

The Indian cricket team has faced a lot of criticism after suffering a 0-3 whitewash against New Zealand in the recently-concluded Test series. The Rohit Sharma-led side was completely outplayed by the visitors and the humiliating results have also put head coach Gautam Gambhir in an uncomfortable position. According to a report, the BCCI will be discussing the series loss in detail and one of the topics will be the pitches used in Pune and Mumbai. During the tenure of Rahul Dravid as head coach, India decided to stop making rank turners in home Tests. However, Gambhir reportedly went back to the tactic despite resistance from part of the team management and India ended up losing both games.

"The decision to go back to rank turners caught a few people in the board by surprise. The new support staff under Gautam Gambhir will be asked about their vision for taking the team forward," Times of India quoted a source as saying.

Unprecedented series defeats against Sri Lanka and New Zealand have placed Gautam Gambhir under immense pressure barely three months into his appointment as the head coach of the Indian team.

He was appointed to the top post amid much fanfare and was also given a rare seat at the selection committee meeting for the tour of Australia. However, his initial report card clearly suggests things aren't looking good for the former India opener.

Unless there is a remarkable turnaround Down Under, Gambhir, who was given a free hand in selection matters, may not have as much say in issues concerning the team in the coming times.

Right after Gambhir took over the reins, India lost an ODI series to Sri Lanka for the first time in 27 years, and then New Zealand completed a 3-0 whitewash of his side in Tests at home on Sunday, something the team never experienced in its long cricketing journey.

(With PTI inputs)

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Shakib Al Hasan Faces Scrutiny Over Suspected Bowling Action: Report

Shakib Al Hasan, the star Bangladesh all-rounder, has been asked to undergo an official review of his bowling action by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). This request came after on-field umpires raised concerns about the legality of his action during his one-off appearance for Surrey in the County Championship. The 37-year-old all-rounder was reported by umpires Steve O'Shaughnessy and David Millns after delivering more than 63 overs during a crucial match against Somerset at Taunton in September, reported ESPNcricinfo.

The fixture marked Shakib's return to the County Championship for the first time since his stint with Worcestershire in 2010-11. He joined Surrey on a short-term contract, stepping in to support their push for a third consecutive Championship title at a time when Surrey's ranks were thinned due to eight players' absence on England duty.

Notably, both of Surrey's frontline spinners, Will Jacks and Dan Lawrence, were unavailable.

Despite Shakib's impressive showing, where he claimed nine wickets, Somerset managed a remarkable comeback, securing a 111-run victory and temporarily halting Surrey's title march.

While Shakib was not penalised with any no-balls for throwing during the match, the umpires nevertheless deemed his action to be "suspect," raising enough concern for the ECB to initiate a review.

Currently, Shakib is not suspended from playing, and negotiations are underway to arrange for him to undergo an official analysis in an approved testing facility.

ESPNcricinfo has reported that the evaluation is likely to take place in the coming weeks.

This marks the first time Shakib's bowling action has come under scrutiny in his extensive career. Over two decades, Shakib has made a significant impact on the global cricketing stage, amassing a total of 712 wickets across 447 international matches, including 246 in 71 Test matches.

The scrutiny over Shakib's action comes as his international career is already in a state of uncertainty. Last month, he withdrew from Bangladesh's Test squad set to face South Africa in Mirpur, citing security concerns, which sparked protests in Bangladesh. The withdrawal followed Shakib's political involvement with the Awami League-led government, which was recently unseated in a historic student-led protest movement in July.

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WTC Scenario: Exact Results India Need Against Australia To Reach Final

India lost their top position in the World Test Championship standings, slipping to second place after suffering an embarrassing home series defeat to New Zealand on Sunday. India lost to New Zealand by 25 runs in the third and final Test in Mumbai resulting in a 0-3 whitewash, their first in a home Test series since South Africa's 2-0 win in 1999-2000. This was also for the first time India have been swept 0-3 in in a home series. It was India's fifth loss in the ongoing WTC cycle, causing a significant drop in their points percentage (PCT), which fell from 62.82 to 58.33. India thus dropped to the second spot behind reigning champions Australia, who have regained the top spot with a PCT of 62.50.

India are now scheduled to fly Down Under to play the five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which has gained more significance now as both teams will be vying for the top two spots.

India were considered favourites to win a majority of their remaining matches in their quest for a third consecutive WTC final appearance.

However, to qualify for the final without depending on external results, they now must win four of their remaining five games -- a challenging task in Australia.

Australia, on the other hand, are in a better position as they need to win four of their remaining seven Tests.

New Zealand's historic series sweep in India has also bolstered their WTC final aspirations.

They have climbed to the fourth spot with a PCT of 54.55, while Sri Lanka occupy third place with a PCT of 55.56.

South Africa, currently fifth with a PCT of 54.17, also remain in contention for a top-two finish and a place in the next year's one-off Test at Lord's.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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KL Rahul, Dhruv Jurel To Play Second India A Match Against Australia A

Senior batter KL Rahul and reserve keeper Dhruv Jurel will be flying to Australia for the second 'unofficial Test' between India A and Australia A starting November 7 at the MCG to give them some game time before the first game at Perth from November 22. Rahul and Jurel were part of the Indian squad for the New Zealand series but while the former played the opening game before being dropped from the playing XI, Jurel, who made his debut against England earlier this year, hasn't got a game since Rishabh Pant's comeback.

The Indian team management wants to give everyone a fair chance to get game time under their belt especially the reserves who could come into action anytime in a marathon series spanning over seven weeks. 

Unprecedented series defeats against Sri Lanka and New Zealand have placed Gautam Gambhir under immense pressure barely three months into his appointment as the head coach of the Indian team.

He was appointed to the top post amid much fanfare and was also given a rare seat at the selection committee meeting for the tour of Australia. However, his initial report card clearly suggests things aren't looking good for the former India opener.

Unless there is a remarkable turnaround Down Under, Gambhir, who was given a free hand in selection matters, may not have as much say in issues concerning the team in the coming times.

Right after Gambhir took over the reins, India lost an ODI series to Sri Lanka for the first time in 27 years, and then New Zealand completed a 3-0 whitewash of his side in Tests at home on Sunday, something the team never experienced in its long cricketing journey.

While the coach can do only as much, questions are now being raised about the lack of prudence on display by going for a rank turner in Mumbai despite knowing that the top-order has time and again failed in last six to seven years against quality spin bowling on wickets offering decent turn.

Even Gambhir's philosophy of playing the same way, come hell or high water, is something that those associated closely with Indian cricket have failed to fathom.

Agreeing to send pacer Mohammed Siraj as night-watchman on the second evening of the third Test against New Zealand in Mumbai and Sarfaraz Khan at No.8 in the first innings are some of the tactical moves that are being questioned by everyone.

"Gautam Gambhir was given access which his predecessors Ravi Shastri and Rahul Dravid didn't have. The BCCI's rule book doesn't allow coaches to be a part of the selection committee meetings, but for Australia tour selection meeting, an exception was made.

"The head coach was allowed to attend considering the magnitude of the tour," a senior BCCI source told PTI on the condition of anonymity.

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"It Makes Me Teary-Eyed": KKR Star Gets Emotional After Not Being Retained

The difficulty of having a mega auction right after winning the Indian Premier League (IPL) title is that a team is forced to bid goodbye to several players of the champion side. Such has been the case for IPL 2024 champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) this time around. Despite managing to retain six of their stalwarts, KKR had to let go the likes of Mitchell Starc, Nitish Rana and Venkatesh Iyer. The latter, who has been with the franchise since 2021, got emotional after not being retained.

"In the case of KKR, it's a complete family. It's not just the 16, 20 or 25 players, but also the management, the staff, the guys behind the scenes. There is so much emotion behind that that it kind of makes me a little teary-eyed that my name is not on the retention list," said a heartfelt Venkatesh Iyer to RevSportz.

Venkatesh has been a key cog for KKR over the previous four IPL seasons, helping them reach the final in 2021 and then lift the cup in 2024. He even hit the winning runs in the 2024 IPL final.

While Venkatesh emphasised the emotion and family feeling at the Knight Riders, he admitted that the franchise has made good retentions.

"The honest thing, as someone who analyses cricket as well, is that KKR has had a very good retention. They have covered 14-16 overs with the ball, and with the bat, they have covered five positions," said Venkatesh.

"I would've loved to be on the retention list, KKR has given me the big breakthrough and I've given everything for them," he added right after.

Venkatesh enjoyed a stellar second half of IPL 2024, hitting four fifties and scoring 370 runs at a strike rate of 158.80.

Despite not being retained, Venkatesh said that the doors are open for him to return.

"The doors are open, and if I have a good auction, I may still end up playing for the team I love the most," said Venkatesh.

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Why Rishabh Pant Decided To Leave DC? Report Reveals Eye-Opening Reasons

An interesting piece of information has been revealed following Rishabh Pant not being retained by Delhi Capitals (DC) ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 mega auction. Pant's nine-year connection with the 2020 finalists came to an end as he was released, with Axar Patel being the franchise's first retention. However, a new report has revealed that Pant was left unhappy by the decisions taken by co-owners GMR Group, who will run the franchise for the next two years. This reportedly includes DC's change in coaching staff.

As per a report by PTI, Pant was left dissatisfied by the decision to appoint Hemang Badani as the head coach and Venugopal Rao as the Director of Cricket at DC. 

Moreover, it has been reported that Pant was also unhappy about his powers being curbed by the GMR Group. Earlier, it had been reported that Delhi Capitals were considering stripping captaincy off Pant and handing it to Axar Patel.

Pant, who had been bought by the Delhi Capitals in 2016, had been retained through two previous mega auctions, and had even attended previous mega auctions in person.

Due to the 50-50 ownership of Delhi Capitals shared between the JSW Group and the GMR Group, each owner runs the franchise in two-year cycles. 2025 and 2026 will be under the direction of GMR Group.

Under their leadership, DC decided to part ways with Ricky Ponting, who had been their head coach for seven years. Legendary Indian Sourav Ganguly was also replaced as the men's team's Director of Cricket.

It is these changes that have seemingly left Pant unhappy, and caused him to look for a different franchise in the auction.

Pant will arguably be the most sought-after name in the auction pool this year, having won the T20 World Cup 2024 as India's first-choice wicket-keeper batter.

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"Hero Worship": Manjrekar Rejects Kohli As RCB Captain After Big Analysis

As Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) announced only three retentions ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 mega auction, reports emerged that Virat Kohli could be the favourite to lead the franchise once again. However, in a thorough analysis of the situation, former Indian cricketer-turned-commentator Sanjay Manjrekar pointed out that Kohli returning as captain may not be the best decision. Manjrekar asked RCB fans to forget the name 'Virat Kohli' for a moment, and analyse whether him becoming captain would be a sensible choice.

"Just because he is Virat Kohli, 95 per cent fans want him to be the captain. But if you just go by his performances, it is not that impressive. This is my problem, I don't want to get carried away, because of hero worship, I don't want to get away from the cricket truth," said Manjrekar, speaking on Star Sports' IPL retention programme.

Manjrekar stated that he does not consider Kohli a great T20 player anymore.

https://t.co/55amQCE9pB pic.twitter.com/z7Vv7mOpeJ

— AR (@31Era_) October 31, 2024

"I just have one question from the fans. If instead of Virat Kohli, there was someone else. You just remove Virat Kohli from your mind, and just look at his performance in the IPL, his batting and captaincy performance. Then you think whether it is the right decision to make him the captain," he added.

Kohli led RCB from 2013 to 2021, a period in which the franchise reached one final (in 2016).

While Kohli suffered a big dip in his batting between 2020 and 2022, he has scored more than 600 runs in the last two seasons, even winning the Orange Cap in 2024, at a strike rate of 154.70.

Kohli stepped down as RCB captain in 2022, handing over the reigns to South African Faf du Plessis. However, after du Plessis wasn't retained by RCB, reports have emerged that Kohli may return as the captain.

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