Friday, June 19
A controversy involving Gautam Gambhir and Lee Fortis has surfaced before the crucial fifth Test match between India and England. The incident occurred during India's practice session. Parthiv Patel supported Gambhir and criticised England's behaviour. Patel also highlighted the importance of domestic leagues and praised young Indian wicketkeepers Rishabh Pant and Dhruv Jurel.
Ben Stokes and Ravindra Jadeja have surged in the ICC Test rankings following their strong performances in the drawn England-India Test. Stokes is now third among all-rounders, while Jadeja leads with 422 points. Joe Root has extended his lead in batting, and in T20Is, Abhishek Sharma claims the top spot among batters, with several Australians also making significant gains.
Twice in the five-match series, Dhruv Jurel was asked to don the wicketkeeping gloves — and the 24-year-old didn’t disappoint his captain. In the third Test, after coming on as a substitute keeper, he took three catches. In the fourth Test, he displayed sharp reflexes behind the stumps, effecting two stumpings and taking two catches.
India faces key decisions before the final Test at the Oval. Jasprit Bumrah's participation hinges on workload management. Arshdeep Singh is likely to debut after recovering from injury. Kuldeep Yadav might feature, given concerns over Shardul Thakur's bowling. Rishabh Pant's foot fracture necessitates a batting order reshuffle. Team management will discuss and finalize the playing eleven soon.
Tensions flared between India's head coach Gautam Gambhir and Oval curator Lee Fortis ahead of the crucial fifth Test. A heated exchange, caught on camera, arose after Fortis allegedly behaved rudely towards India's support staff and restricted the team's pitch inspection.
Hockey India introduces an internship program aimed at developing homegrown coaches, envisioning them as crucial for future success, particularly with the potential 2036 Olympics bid. Harendra Singh emphasizes the importance of providing opportunities for Indian coaches to contribute at a higher level. Former goalkeeper Baljit Singh and coach P Shanmugam join the national setup, adding valuable expertise.
Speaking exclusively with TOI from Batumi airport in Georgia, Divya talked at length and shared her thoughts on how it feels to be a Grandmaster, how she turned things around in her favour and the favourite dress she wore during all her tiebreak games to script history.
Washington Sundar, initially picked for his off-spin, proved his batting prowess by scoring a century in the fourth Test against England, filling the void left by Rishabh Pant. His composed innings at No. 5 ensured India didn't lose the series. Gambhir highlighted Sundar's form and the opportunity arising from Pant's absence, solidifying Sundar's place in the team.
The Supreme Court has dismissed criminal proceedings against badminton players Lakshya Sen and Chirag Sen, who were accused of falsifying their birth certificates to compete in underage tournaments. The court's decision came after noting a lack of evidence supporting the allegations.
India faces a dilemma regarding Jasprit Bumrah's workload for the final Test match. Coach Gautam Gambhir remains tight-lipped about Bumrah's inclusion. The BCCI worries about his 'pick-and-choose' policy. Bumrah's past injury concerns linger. Gambhir emphasizes the team's focus on securing a 2-2 series draw. The team management will make a decision soon. All eyes are on the crucial Oval Test.
