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Gill holds India together with second hundred as captain

Published

7 months ago

2025/07/3

Priyan

Centurion Shubman Gill and Ravindra Jadeja walk off at stumps [Cricinfo]

Shubman Gill’s roar said it all. At 10:30am, he fronted up at the toss to reveal Jasprit Bumrah would be rested for this second Test at Edgbaston. Then, shortly after 6pm, after everyone had broadly agreed India were wrong to leave out their world-class quick when trailing 1-0 to England. Gill ripped off his helmet, pierced the air with a second shriek in two weeks and then, as is custom, bowed to mark his seventh Test century.

Explaining the decision to rest Bumrah, Gill revealed the India management felt Lord’s will offer their prized asset more than this Edgbaston track. And as he saw out the day unbeaten on 114, he has at least done his bit to ensure India are not further behind when they head to London next week. At 310 for 5, they are in a promising position, albeit with a line-up harbouring fewer specialist batters.

If Gill’s first hundred in this series at Headingley immediately announced his arrival as India’s Test captain, this one already felt like a retaliation to its rigours and stresses. The news of Bumrah’s resting came as one of three changes that also drew unflattering attention to a touring party already shuffling the deckchairs. Akash Deep, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington Sundar drafted into the XI, Sai Sudharsan and Shardul Thakur dropped.

Ben Stokes’ decision to win the toss and bowl for a second consecutive match, and under bright sunshine once more, was broadly vindicated by a valiant showing from his quicks. Chris Woakes, with 2 for 59, was the pick of them and unlucky not to have more. All told, England did little wrong.

Much was resting on Gill’s shoulders, even before the burden of being out in the middle for all of 216 deliveries started to jar his back. At 5:55pm, with 270 for 5 by India’s name and 86 by his, he called out the physiotherapist for some healing contortions. Resuming his innings, he was more intent on seeing out the remaining 35 minutes than reaching three-figures. That he got there quickly, with two boundaries in consecutive deliveries, owed as much to a couple of filthy Joe Root offies as Gill’s penchant for the sweep.

Though the 11 fours to the milestone were crisp and spread relatively evenly – as many through cover (three) as there were between backward square leg and midwicket – the 199 deliveries to reach it spoke volumes of Gill’s fight. He did not get ahead of himself, nor get fooled into ego games when Stokes posted three people at cover and one at short mid on, daring him to beat any and all of them. And yet still after all that, there is more fighting to be done.

Gill arrived at the crease on 95 for 2, six minutes before lunch, upon Brydon Carse’s dismissal of Karun Nair, promoted to No.3 in Sudharsan’s absence. That delivery – rising to take the splice off a length, through to Harry Brook at second slip – came in Carse’s second spell, after both he and Woakes opened proceedings with as close to the perfect first hour.

Woakes was immaculate, prising out KL Rahul early for a torturous 2 from 26 deliveries in an impressive new ball spell which read 1 for 15 from seven overs. That included four maidens on the bounce.

Playing in just his fourth Edgbaston Test, the hometown hero was unlucky not to make more inroads after standing umpire Sharfuddoula turned down two close LBW appeals – the first against Yashasvi Jaiswal on 12, the second against Nair on 5.

Both were reviewed only to come back with fractional Umpire’s Call on the predicted path into the stumps. And it felt fitting that his second wicket trimmed the top of off stump, when Reddy pressed forward and left, only to be undone by wicked seam movement into the right-hander.

Reddy was the second to fall in 10 deliveries after Rishabh Pant inexplicably launched Shoaib Bashir into the hands of Zak Crawley at long-on. Perhaps Pant was fooled by the presence of a mid-on up in the circle, too. Either way, it was a gross error of judgement at a time when he and Gill were rebuilding steadily. Bashir, though, deserves credit for enticing the shot with a 74kph/46mph delivery that dipped late, in part due to a bolt upright seam. From twin centuries to a subdued 25, England were understandably giddy to have snared the left-hander in such fashion.

The trigger for the initial diligence of the fourth-wicket stand was the loss of Jaiswal, at fault himself when slashing loosely at a wide delivery from Stokes, caught behind by Jamie Smith. As ever against England, the left-hander looked in control of his own destiny, maintaining his streak of scoring at least 50 in all seven Tests against them.

He moved to his half-century off 59 deliveries, accelerating into it with the help of some wayward bowling from Josh Tongue. Three boundaries from the Nottinghamshire quick’s third over were followed by three-in-a-row from what turned out to be Tongue’s sixth and final one of his spell, as Stokes ordered his quicks to instigate their usual bumper ploy.

A hook took Jaiswal to 49, before he leapt into a vicious cut high over point to pass fifty, followed by a celebratory four – his 11th – carved past third. And he showed patience through the middle session, driving Carse through cover five balls after lunch, and later guiding Tongue past the cordon for the last of 13 boundaries to take him to 81.

Perhaps he ran out of patience when going after Stokes. What was certain was Gill would not make the same mistake. The route from fifty to the century took 74 deliveries, and contained six fours to the five in the previous 125, but felt far more cautious alongside Ravindra Jadeja; the allrounder a sensible crutch for his skipper, even if he rests on a sprightlier 41 from 67 deliveries.

Gill and Jadeja will pick up their stand in the morning on 99, well aware of the need to do much more as the last seasoned batters. The lessons learned from spurning positions of 430 for 3 and 333 for 4 in the first Test need to be put into practice.

Brief scores:
India 310 for 5 in 85 overs (Shubman Gill 114*, Yashaswi Jaiswal 87, Karun Nair 31, Ravindra Jadeja 41*, Rishabh Pant 25; Chris Woakes 2-59) vs England

[Cricinfo]

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Moscas star as Italy dismantle Nepal for first World Cup win

Published

9 hours ago

2026/02/12

Priyan

Anthony Mosca and Justin Mosca steered Italy to a dominant win [Cricinfo]

In only their second World Cup outing, Italy claimed a clinical first win, silencing a largely Nepal supporting crowd in Mumbai. After the bowlers restricted Nepal effectively on a worn surface, Italy’s opening pair, the Sydney-raised brothers, Justin and Anthony Mosca, then rampaged to the target on their own, both notching half-centuries to seal victory with more than seven overs to spare.

Nepal, having run England so close in their opening match, came in as the favoured side – in terms of both their pedigree at global events and the backing in the stands. But they struggled to get going with the bat after being inserted, with Aasif Sheikh’s 27 off 24 the top score of an underpowered effort. Italy’s spin attack were superb, Crishan Kalugamage , Ben Meneti and JJ Smuts claiming combined figures of 6 for 49 from their 12 overs.

Needing to score at little more than a run a ball, Italy were in no mood to get bogged down. Anthony Mosca hammered his second ball for a towering six over midwicket and, after a slower start, Justin soon joined his brother in targeting the boundary. Justin was the first to 50, from 37 balls, with Anthony bringing up the milestone from just 28 balls with another blazing slog-sweep moments later. It was Anthony who completed the Italian job with a single into the covers to spark jubilation on the sidelines.

The Wankhede is used to dominant displays from a team in blue, but few would have expected such a thrashing to be handed out by the Azzurri. Not least because they came into this match without their captain, Wayne Madsen, and having suffered a heavy defeat to Scotland in their opening match in Kolkata. Nepal, meanwhile, we looking to record their third win in T20 World Cups – and first since 2014.

Given their strengths, Nepal might have fancied their chances defending a low total on the same surface where spin played such a key role in Wednesday’s game between West Indies and England – but any such thoughts were quickly dispelled. Anthony Mosca, the elder brother, was particularly brutal in taking apart an experienced Nepal attack, while both openers used the crease intelligently to target scoring opportunities.

Having needed a few balls to get in, Justin Mosca took 14 off Karan KC’s second over, then the brothers traded sixes off Lalit Rajbanshi’s only over to raise Italy’s 50 at the end of the fourth over. Even the early introduction of Nepal’s trump card, legspinner Sandeep Lamichhane, could not slow the Moscas’ advance, as Anthony cleared long-off and then dragged past short fine leg to leave Italy 68 for 0 at the end of the powerplay.

From there, with 56 required off 84, they could tick along towards individual milestones – and by reaching the target in tandem, they recorded the highest partnership between siblings in all T20 internationals, beating the 119 added by Kathryn and Sarah Bryce for Scotland against Netherlands at the 2019 Women’s T20 World Cup qualifier.

Italy’s victory was a family affair, with Harry Manenti – younger brother of Ben – standing in for the injured Madsen as captain. “Our goal was always to compete at this level,” Harry said afterwards. “We didn’t quite nail it the other day [against Scotland] but we showed the world what we’ve got.”

T20 isn’t the format that naturally lends itself to catenaccio – the famed Italian approach to football which is focused on defence – but Italy went about restricting Nepal superbly after opting to bowl first. The surface was the same as that used for West Indies’ win over England the night before, and stroke-making looked to be a challenge as Ben Manenti started with a maiden over to Kushal Bhurtel.

Bhurtel took eight balls to get off the mark, found the boundary with his ninth and then was dismissed from his tenth, miscuing a slash off Ali Hasan straight to cover point. Nepal were 10 for 1 after three overs, but got going with Aasif Sheikh picking up back-to-back boundaries in Hasan’s second over. Paudel then got the crowd on their feet with sixes off JJ Smuts and Grant Stewart, as they ended the powerplay in better shape on 46 for 1.

However, Italy returned to spin and reapplied the defensive press. Paudel was dismissed in Crishan Kalugamage’s first over, hoicking a googly to long-on, and two balls later both set batters were gone: Aasif Sheikh overbalanced against Manenti’s arm ball, leaving his toe on the line as Gian-Piero Meade whipped off the bails.

A hard-running partnership of 44 off 39 ensued between Aarif Sheikh and Dipendra Singh Airee. Just three boundaries were scored between the end of the powerplay and the fifth ball of the 18th over as Nepal scrambled to get a score on the board. Airee had helped take down Adil Rashid as they gave England a scare, but he struggled for timing this time around before being bowled by Italy’s legspinner, Kalugamage smuggling a googly through the gap to hit off stump.

That triggered a disastrous collapse, from 93 for 3 to 102 for 8. Lokesh Bam hauled Ben Manenti to deep midwicket, Aarif Sheikh picked out deep backward square leg off Smuts and Kalugamage bagged a third when Gulsan Jha holed out to long-on. Some shoddy running did for Nandan Yadav. Karan KC nailed the returning Hasan for six and four to briefly re-energise the Nepali support in the stands, but two wickets in three balls at the start of the 19th saw them bowled out short of their allocation.

Brief scores:
Italy 124 for 0 in 12.4 overs (Anthony Mosca 62*, Justin Mosca 60*) beat Nepal 123 in 19.3 overs (Aasif Sheikh 20, Rohit Paudel 23, Dipendra Singh Airee 17, Aarif Sheikh 27, Karan KC 18; Ben Manenti 2-09, Ali Hasan 1-34,JJ Smuts 1-22, Crishan Kalugamage 3-18, Jasprit Singh 1-08) by 10 wickets

[Cricinfo]

Foreign News

Kim Jong Un chooses teen daughter as heir, says Seoul

Published

12 hours ago

2026/02/12

Priyan

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has selected his daughter as his heir, South Korea’s spy agency told lawmakers on Thursday.

Little is known about Kim Ju Ae, who in recent months has been pictured beside her father in high-profile events like a visit to Beijing in September- her first known trip abroad.

The National Intelligence Service (NIS) said it took a “range of circumstances” into account including her increasingly prominent public presence at official events” in making this assessment.

The NIS also said it would keep close tabs on whether she will attend the North’s party congress later this month – its largest political event that is held once every five years.

The party Congress is where Pyongyang is expected to give more details about priorities like foreign policy, war planning and nuclear ambitions for the next five years.

On Thursday lawmaker Lee Seong-kwen told reporters that Ju Ae, who was previously described by the NIS as being “trained” to be a successor, was now at the stage of “successor designation”.

“As Kim Ju Ae has shown her presence at various events, including the founding anniversary of the Korean People’s Army and her visit to the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, and signs have been detected of her voicing her opinion on certain state policies, the NIS believes she has now entered the stage of being designated as successor,” Lee said.

Ju Ae is the only known child of Kim Jong Un and his wife, Ri Sol Ju. The NIS believes Kim Jong Un has an older son, but this son has never been acknowledged nor shown on North Korean media.

News of Ju Ae’s existence first emerged through an unlikely source: the American basketball player Dennis Rodman, who revealed to The Guardian newspaper back in 2013 that he “held baby Ju Ae” during a trip to the secretive state.

Ju Ae – who is believed to be 13 – made her first appearance on state television in 2022. She was shown inspecting North Korea’s latest intercontinental ballistic missile while holding her father’s hand.

She has since made frequent appearances on on state media, softening her father’s image of a ruthless dictator. She accompanied him to Beijing for China’s largest-ever military parade, where she was seen stepping off his armoured train at Beijing Railway Station.

She is often seen wearing her hair long, which is forbidden for her peers, and wearing designer clothes, which are out of reach for most in her country.

Another lawmaker, Park Sun-won said the role Ju Ae had taken on during public events indicated that she has started to provide policy input and is being treated as the de facto second-highest leader.

The North Korean power had passed down the three generations of the Kim family, and it is widely believed that Kim Jong Un will pass on the throne to Ju Ae.

In recent months, she was shown standing taller than her father, walking beside him, rather than following him.

In North Korea, where photos published by the state media are believed to carry a great symbolic weight, it is rare for individuals other than Kim Jong Un to be positioned equally prominently in the frame.

Although the South Korean spy agency now believes Ju Ae is the designated heir, it still raises questions.

It is puzzling why Ju Ae, a daughter, would be selected as the heir above an older son in North Korea’s deeply patriarchal society.

Many defectors and analysts had previously dismissed the idea of a woman leading North Korea as an unlikely scenario, referring to the country’s entrenched traditional gender roles. But Kim Jong Un’s sister – Kim Yo Jong – does offer a precedent for female authority in the regime.

Kim Yo Jong currently holds a senior position in the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea, and is reported to have influence over her brother.

However, it is also a mystery why Kim Jong Un, who is still young and appears relatively healthy, is already designating a 13-year-old child as his heir now.

It is unclear what changes Ju Ae’s succession may bring to North Korea.

Many North Koreans hoped that Kim Jong Un, a Western-educated young man, would open their country up to the outside when he succeeded his father.

Yet such hope was unfulfilled. Whatever plans this teenager may have for her country, she would likely have the singular power to shape it however she likes.

[BBC]

Latest News

Shanaka and Rathnayake blow Oman away with frenetic half-centuries

Published

14 hours ago

2026/02/12

Priyan

Dasun Shanaka hit five sixes in his 20-ball 50 [Cricinfo]

Sri Lanka’a powerful middle order blew Oman away in Pallekele, helping them sweep to a 105-run win. In perhaps the most one-sided game of the T20 World Cup so far, Dasun Shanaka struck Sri Lanka’s fastest ever T20I half-century, in 19 balls, while a 28-ball 60 from Pavan Rathnayake and 61 by Kusal Mendis propelled Sri Lanka to 225, this World Cup’s highest score and Sri Lanka’s second-highest in T20 World Cups.

Oman did strike early when Jay Odedra cleaned up Kamil Mishara, but the wickets they took never stymied the flow of runs. Pathum Nissanka was trapped up front off the first ball of the sixth over by Sufyan Mehmood, but it still went for 16. And the middle overs saw Mendis ensure the run rate only ever kept rising. The fireworks from Rathnayake and Shanaka in the second half of the innings powered Sri Lanka well beyond Oman’s batting capabilities.

The total was never likely to be challenged, and while Oman tried damage limitation, even that was less than successful. Dushmantha Chameera cleaned up Jatinder Singh first ball, and Oman went on to lose two more wickets in a powerplay where only 36 runs were scored. Maheesh Theekshana was sensational throughout his four-over spell, conceding just 11 runs, and made the task much easier for his fellow bowlers. Much of what followed was both sides largely going through the motions. Oman limped to 120, largely thanks to Mohammad Nadeem’s half-century – which makes him the oldest half-centurion at a men’s T20 World Cup. But it was little more than a footnote as Sri Lanka romped to victory in Pallekele’s first match at this World Cup.

In the overs when a bowling side might generally be expected to rein in the scoring, Oman’s disciplines wavered, and Sri Lanka made them pay. The three overs after the powerplay produced just 21 for Sri Lanka, but as Wasim Ali was wrapping up another tidy over, he overstepped, and then overstepped on the free-hit ball again. The over ended up leaking 17, and kicked off a four-over spell where 54 runs were scored. It set up the perfect platform for Rathnayake and Shanaka to exploit at the death.

By the 15th over, Sri Lanka were on course for a total beyond Oman’s reach, but the carnage was only just starting. Shanaka had made a sedate start, with seven in his first seven balls, but would need just 12 more to get to 50, beating his own Sri Lankan record for the fastest T20I half-century. It began with a six and a four off Jiten Ramanandi before Nadeem Khan was carted around for a 20-run over, and Sufyan for 19 more. The last five overs fetched the hosts 79, comfortably the highest at the death at this World Cup.

His wicket-taking days weren’t done, though, and he demonstrated a willingness to come on anytime the batters clawed the slightest momentum back. Dushan Hemantha was hit for two sixes in the 11th by Wasim Ali, and Theekshana was straight back on, and had Wasim caught behind before the over was out. He rounded out his spell with a miserly one-run over, finishing with 2 for 11, comfortably the most economical four-over spell this World Cup.

Brief scores:

Sri Lanka 225 for 5 in 20 overs (Pathum Nissanka 13, Kusal Mendis 61, Pavan Rathnayake 60, Dasun Shanaka 50, Kamindu Mendis 19-; Jay Odedra 1-14, Sufiyan Mahmood 1-60. Jiten Ramanandi 2-41) beat Oman 120 for 9 in 20 overs (Mohammad Nadeem 53*, Wasim Ali 27; Maheesh Theekshana 2-11, Dushmantha Chameera 2-19, Dunith Wellalage 2-17, Dushan Hemantha 1-45, Kamindu Mendis 1-10) by 105 runs

[Cricinfo]