Sports

Goddess Of War, Andre’ and Bezawada Sultan pleased when the horses were exercised here on Monday morning (July 28).

Inner sand

1000m: Doncaster Belle (R. Pradeep) 1-7.5, 600/40. Impressed.

Outer sand

600m: Southern Dynasty (rb) 43.5. Strode out well.

1000m: Andre’ (Darshan) 1-10, 600/41.5. Moved fluently. Chicago Chimes (rb), Caccini (Koshi K) 1-14.5, 600/44. Former finished four lengths ahead. Magnetar (Koshi K) 1-15, 600/45. Moved freely.

1200m: Bezawada Sultan (J. Chinoy) 1-30, 1,000/1-12, 600/42. Maintains form. Pristine Glory (Koshi K) 1-30, 1,000/1-13, 600/42. Stretched out well.

Gate practice — inner sand

1200m: Victoria Moon (Pavan) 1-37, (1,400-600) 50. Vayu (J. Chinoy) 1-23, (1,200-600) 40. Impressed. Indian Jack (Mark), Rudra (Arman K) 1-23, (1,200-600) 38. Former showed out. Golden Time (Koshi K) 1-22.5, (1,200-600) 42. Jumped out well. Final Call (rb) 1-23.5, (1,200-600) 39. Pleased. Goddess Of War (Antony), Prince Of War (Shinde) 1-19.5, (1,2000-600) 39.5. Former finished a distance ahead. El Alamein (Afsar), Bruce Almighty (rb) 1-24, (1,200-600) 38.5. Former impressed. Irish Coffee (Anish) 1-25, (1,200-600) 43. Jumped out well.

Inner sand — July 27

1000m: African Gold (R. Pradeep) 1-6.5, 600/39.5. Moved impressively.

Outer sand 600m: Global Influence (Aleemuddin), Star Glory (Prabhakaran) 43.5. They moved on the bit. Lena (Sai Kiran) 46. Easy. Ancient History (Chetan K) 44. Shaped well.

1000m: Husanara (Prabhakaran), Best Of Us (Suraj) 1-13.5, 600/43. They finished level.

1200m: Glorious Strides (Suraj), Verrazzano (Vikrant) 1-25, 1,000/1-12, 600/45. Former finished four lengths ahead. Champions Way (Suraj) 1-28, 1,000/1-9, 600/41. A good display. Star Serenade (Suraj), Priceless Prince (Prabhakaran) 1-27.5, 1,000/1-11.5, 600/42.5. Former started two lengths behind and finished four lengths ahead. Unforgettable Star (Suraj), Gordon (Vikrant) 1-27, 1,000/1-9.5, 600/41.5. They moved attractively. Ashwa Kali Bhani (Suraj) 1-28, 1,000/1-12, 600/42.5. In fine nick. Schoenberg (Hindu S) 1-25, 1,000/1-9, 600/42. Pleased.

1400m: Ksepiman (rb) 1-42, (1,400-600) 55. Eased up. Booster Shot (Darshan), Queen Of Kings (Suraj) 1-42, 1,200/1-27.5, 1,000/1-13, 600/44.5. Former impressed. Sativur (Arman K) 1-38, 1,200/1-24, 1,000/1-10.5, 600/43. A fine display.

1600m: Aphelion (Salman K) 1-57, 1,400/1-40.5, 1,200/1-25.5, 1,000/1-11.5, 600/43. Strode out well.

Published – July 28, 2025 05:31 pm IST

New venture: Rossi and Kalikesh promised to help the game evolve in a healthy and interesting way.
| Photo Credit: FILE PHOTO: Kamesh Srinivasan

Divya Deshmukh becomes the fourth Indian woman to become a Grandmaster. Photo: X/@FIDE_chess

The long-winding five-match Test series in England has hit the home stretch but despite securing a memorable draw at Old Trafford, India continue to search for the “perfect” eleven, more specifically the right bowling combination, heading into the finale at The Oval in three days’ time.

India’s preference to bat till number eight at the expense of a specialist bowler has been constantly questioned over the course of the series and more so after Shardul Thakur, playing in place of the injured Nitish Reddy, was used for only 11 overs at Old Trafford.

But with India conceding more than 600 runs for the first time since 2014 at Old Trafford, the case for including an out and out wicket-taker like Kuldeep Yadav, who has been warming the bench for the past 40 days, is stronger than ever.

After an underwhelming debut, Anshul Kamboj is likely to make way for a fit-again Akash Deep or Prasidh Krishna.

Arshdeep Singh, who too has been a passenger like Kuldeep, has also recovered from a hand injury and would be dreaming of a Test debut in what has been a highly competitive and engaging series.

Though head coach Gautam Gambhir declared all the fast bowlers fit in his usual combative tone following the draw on Sunday, there is no denying that the pace pack, especially Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj, are part of the tiring bunch on either side of the dressing room.

Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja, the architects of a famous draw, formed India’s top six in the second innings due to Rishabh Pant’s injury and showed remarkable grit to bat out more than two sessions to save the game, completing fine hundreds in the process.

If that same template is followed at The Oval, Dhruv Jurel will come in to bat number seven and India can play four specialist bowlers by benching Shardul, who anyway has not been getting enough overs.

The fourth bowler can be Kuldeep with the pitch expected to aid spinners or an extra fast bowler.

By its own admission, the Indian team management has been consciously trying to fit Kuldeep into the playing eleven but the current template of batting till eight has prevented it from doing that.

“So Kuldeep, we are trying to find a way for him, but it is just (that we need) more consistent runs from our top six, so that we can bring a guy like Kuldeep in,” said India bowling coach Morne Morkel during the fourth Test.

“It’s finding when he comes in, how we can find balance and how we can get that batting line-up to be a little bit longer and stronger. We’ve seen in the past that we’ve lost wickets in clumps.

“Kuldeep is world-class and he’s bowling really well at the moment, so we’re trying our best to find ways for him to get in,” added the South African.

Recently-retired Test great R. Ashwin can’t understand India’s obsession of batting till eight for a few extra runs when a strike bowler like Kuldeep can allow them to play with fewer runs. For him, picking Kuldeep in Manchester was a no brainer.

Considering the selection calls thus far, it can be said that India have been pretty firm about having a cushion with the bat in the lower-order. That will need to change if Kuldeep has to come into the scheme of things.

Bumrah has already played three Tests but with series on the line, he could turn up at The Oval and someone like Mohammed Siraj, the only Indian pacer to have featured in all the games, would be raising his hand up despite the heavy workload.

“On these wickets…You do not know whether you will lose the toss, you will win the toss. You do not know what sort of a start you are going to get. So when you pick a team, I think you will try and pick a balanced team,” said India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak recently when asked about playing an extra bowler over an all-rounder.

“You cannot go like ‘because last game three guys got 100s, we can play a batter less’.

“…sometimes we feel that six bowlers are not getting enough bowling. So when you have six options, anyway captain struggles to bowl all six equally. Picking an 11, you will always try and keep that balance of batting and bowling,” he reasoned for India’s existing selection approach.

Published – July 28, 2025 03:45 pm IST

Feisty R Ashwin called out England’s “doubles standards” in their attempt to prematurely end the fourth Test as cricket fraternity extensively supported India’s decision to let Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar complete their well-deserved centuries instead of accepting home team’s handshake offer.

Drama erupted at the start of the final hour of the match on Sunday (July 27, 2025) when home skipper Ben Stokes offered to shake hands with Indian batters, realising that an outright result was not possible.

Jadeja and Washington batting on 89 and 80 respectively refused the offer to leave the England captain frustrated. Stokes later said that he made the offer since he didn’t want to risk injury to his fatigued frontline bowlers.

“Have you heard the term double standards? They played your bowlers all day, batted you out and suddenly when they’re nearing hundreds, you want to walk off? Why should they?,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.

“They have played all your bowlers since morning and taken it to a draw. They have worked hard, so you want them to leave their hundred?” the former off-spinner fumed.

India eventually called it a draw once both Jadeja and Washington brought up their centuries. It was Washington’s maiden Test ton.

Both Ashwin and legendary Sunil Gavaskar said they would have had India bat mandated 15 overs.

“If I was the Indian captain, I would have played the entire 15 overs,” Ashwin said.

Gavaskar echoed the same sentiment on Sony Sports: “I’d ask them to keep batting and keep the team on the field for the full 15 overs.”

As England players crowded Jadeja, Stokes had sarcastically quipped “You’re going to get a Test hundred against Harry Brook (part-time bowler)?” “You ask, ‘You want to make a hundred against Harry Brook? He has to make a hundred, you bring Steve Harmison, Andre Flintoff bring any bowler – they didn’t object, it was your call to bring Brook, not ours,” Ashwin said.

“These are Test runs, a century is earned, not gifted, Washington deserved it, Jadeja deserved it. Period.”

Ashwin said India were well within their rights to refuse to call it a draw with the two batters going for their milestone.

“There were two reasons: one you didn’t want to tire your bowlers. Fine. Second you were frustrated and though ‘If I’m not happy, you shouldn’t be either’. That’s now how cricket works.”

Former Australia keeper-batter Brad Haddin called out England for their poor sportsmanship.

“India showed tremendous fight on the final day. Then all of a sudden, it was a situation when England said they can’t win so then let’s stop the game because England are done playing,” Haddin said on the ‘WillowTalkPodcast’.

“I liked what India did, they earned the right to stay as long as they want. They had the right to make the hundred. Just because it didn’t go England’s way and they didn’t get the answer that they want, all of sudden they (England) weren’t happy and started getting verbal.

“So things don’t go England’s way all of sudden it’s everyone else’s problem. Well done to India,” Haddin said.

Former England captain Alastair Cook too backed India’s decision, suggesting the momentum would serve them well heading into the fifth and final Test at The Oval, which they need to win to level the series.

“It was the right decision for (Jadeja and Washington) to carry on for the momentum they’ll gain from it,” Cook said on BBC’s ‘Test Match Special’.

“When you’ve been out in the field for 140 overs, you get frustrated. So, it is a little bit of frustration for England but I understand why India did it,” he added.

Nasser Hussain, another former skipper, agreed termed Stokes’ decision to bowl Harry Brook after the handshake as “silly”.

“I didn’t have a problem with it. England seemed to have a problem with it. They were a bit tired, tired bowlers so they wanted to get off but two lads worked hard to get to 80s and 90s and they wanted to get Test match hundreds,” Hussain said on ‘Sky Sports’.

“Stokes didn’t have to bowl Brook and look silly at the end. We make far too much of these things. They played well and all credit to India,” Hussain said.

Published – July 28, 2025 03:13 pm IST

England’s Jamie Overton who played the only Test match in 2022 has been recalled to the 15-member squad for the fifth and final Test against India.
| Photo Credit: The Hindu

Sanjay Manjrekar. File
| Photo Credit: Emmanual Yogini