Category Uncategorized

Kedar Jadhav on his batting in Pune, on batting with Virat Kohli, and on batting through pain

Sidharth Monga17-Jan-2017

Kedar Jadhav is 31 years old, but on Sunday he did what only boys not bogged down by realities of life can dream of. He walked out at 63 for 4, with his parents, his wife and his daughter in attendance, and stunned England with a century that helped India chase down 350. It was an innings that overshadowed a really exceptional effort from a man who now has legitimate claims to being one of India’s best three ODI batsmen of all time. It was an innings where Kohli had to push himself. Imagine. Jadhav played a knock that outshone Kohli effort. Only boys dream of just walking in with the match all but lost and then running away with it, with a man destined to be an all-time great watching in awe at times.One such time was when Joe Root and Moeen Ali had bowled 10 straight balls without a boundary. Thirty-three runs had come off the last 35 balls. This was the quietest England had managed to keep this Jadhav-Kohli partnership of 200. To the last ball of this over, the 27th, Jadhav made room. Moeen saw it. He fired it into the pads. There was no room to play a forceful shot now, especially with the leg side packed. Jadhav, though, went ahead with his attempted drive over mid-off to this short ball. The ball flew far enough to meet the boundary skirting on the half-volley.A Hawk-Eye indication of where Moeen Ali pitched that ball•Hawk-Eye

It was just Jadhav’s bad luck that, later in the night, Kohli played a shot even more awesome. This one didn’t get talked about so much. Two days later, Jadhav explained why he could execute a shot like that. And one sweep against the turn of Adil Rashid, straight over mid-on for a six.”As a kid, I played more tennis-ball cricket than with the cricket ball,” Jadhav said. “There used to be a tournament where you could hit fours and sixes only straight down the ground. If you hit on the sides you were given out. So that’s how I got into this habit that even if there is bounce, if the ball is at a manageable height and if I feel I can clear 30 yards, I can do it. I could do this with the tennis ball. So the flow with which I was playing yesterday, I thought if there isn’t much bounce and if I can get a bit of elevation, I can hit out. In that over we hadn’t got a boundary and you needed a boundary every over to maintain that asking rate. So I took that option and it clicked.”On the night, as Kohli pushed Jadhav with the running between the wickets, you got the impression he was struggling to keep up, but he turned down only those runs that were not on. Jadhav later said he will come back as a better runner, but his strength and endurance is not to be underestimated. Two years ago he went to Australia to represent India A and played on despite what he thought was some pain in his hand. When the pain didn’t recede even after he came back home, he got it checked only to find he had fractured his hand.”I realised that if I could perform well in Australia for India despite carrying a fracture, I can bear any pain,” Jadhav said. “If I have to overcome odds, I know I can do anything. That’s how I always think, and since I keep achieving it most of the times, my belief in my abilities continues to grow.”That doesn’t stop Jadhav from watching against complacency. Jadhav’s second century may have given him a more permanent spot in the India ODI side, but he is not taking it for granted. “There shouldn’t be a change [in my approach],” Jadhav said. “I always play every game as my last game. Whenever you represent your country, you’ve to give more than 100%. I’ll try and do that in whatever games I get, whenever I bat or bowl.”Jadhav played some IPL cricket with Virender Sehwag at Delhi Daredevils, and he showed shades of Sehwag’s thinking in the way he approached the chase.’Whenever you bat with Virat, it helps you, because the bowlers focus on him’ – Jadhav•Associated Press

“Since we were four down, England were looking to attack,” Jadhav said. “It was good that many fielders were in catching positions rather than saving boundaries. The wicket was good for batting, so I had a lot of gaps to score boundaries. And my natural game is to try and dominate the opposition whenever I bat. I look to take the bowlers on. So I was just playing in that flow, and because we had to chase 350, irrespective of the situation, we had to maintain the tempo.”It helped that Kohli was at the other end, which meant all of England’s energies were spent on the more accomplished partner. Jadhav had said after the match that he rued that he hadn’t got to bat as much with Kohli as he would have liked. Before Sunday, Jadhav had batted with Kohli three times.”Whenever you bat with Virat, it helps you,” Jadhav said. “Because the bowlers’ focus would be on him – how to get him out, how to control him. So that’s an advantage. If you are batting with him, you sometimes get loose balls and more opportunities to score. The bowlers are not able to put a lot of pressure on you, so that helps a lot.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsJeet Raval hit the winning runs to cap off a memorable debut•Getty Images

Debutant opener Jeet Raval batted with focus to overcome a testing period against the new ball and took New Zealand to an eight-wicket victory in Christchurch. He had his captain Kane Williamson, who made 61 off 77 balls, for company for most of the chase of 105 and hit the winning runs shortly after lunch to seal a 1-0 lead in the series.Raval finished unbeaten on 36 to go with his first-innings 55, the highest score of the Test. New Zealand’s other debutant, Colin de Grandhomme, was Man of the Match for taking seven wickets in the Test; his 6 for 41 in the first innings was a New Zealand record on debut.What could have been a tricky chase had New Zealand lost early wickets on the fourth morning turned into a cruise as Raval and Williamson added 85 for the second wicket. Once the new ball had been dealt with, both batsmen were able to play shots, though Raval remained cautious while Williamson was more attacking. While runs had been difficult to come by on the second and third days, the pitch had eased out considerably on the fourth, with little seam, swing or spin on offer.Williamson played firm cuts and delicate, late dabs before falling when the scores were level. Raval hit the winning runs by pulling Yasir Shah to the midwicket boundary as New Zealand ended a four-match losing streak. Yasir ended the match with figures of 0 for 61; his first wicketless Test after taking 116 in 19 matches.That the match went into the second session was due to some adventurous lower-order batting from Pakistan in the first hour. Sohail Khan, who has only one half-century in 115 first-class innings, had begun throwing his bat around on the third evening, and he continued to do so first thing this morning by taking seven off the first two balls. When there was width, Sohail slashed, and when it was full, he drove, contributing 40 to an eighth-wicket stand of 53 with Asad Shafiq.He was eventually caught pulling to backward square leg in the seventh over of the day, after Pakistan had added 29.Shafiq, on 8, had survived a caught behind appeal while attempting an expansive drive off Neil Wagner. Though the appeal wasn’t spontaneous, there was a sound as the ball passed the bat, but New Zealand couldn’t refer the decision because they had no reviews left.After Sohail’s dismissal, Shafiq took his chances to get as many runs as possible and did not shield the tail. He was out pulling to Raval, who ran in from deep midwicket and dived forward to take the catch just before the ball hit the turf.Rahat was the last man dismissed when he tamely lobbed a catch to short leg. Wagner, who had become the second-fastest New Zealand bowler to 100 Test wickets, finished with 3 for 34.

While calling for people to be patient with West Indies’ developing side, captain Jason Holder has said that there are signs of progress

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Oct-20161:53

West Indies lose eight out of eight in UAE

In the wake of West Indies’ 133-run defeat in the second Test in Abu Dhabi, captain Jason Holder has said that his young, inexperienced side is making progress, but emphasised that it would take time for that to reflect in the results they achieve.”I don’t feel any pressure as captain,” Holder said. “It is a young and inexperienced squad; it will take time to get the results we have been looking for. We have been inconsistent for the last number of years. I’m here to do a job and I’m trying to do the best I possibly can.”West Indies have had a prolonged underwhelming spell in Test cricket and are currently ranked No. 8 in the format. However, they have turned in a couple of spirited performances recently; they saved the second Test against India in Kingston in July-August and came from behind to run Pakistan close in the first Test in Dubai.Holder asked for patience in West Indies’ developing team and cited their performance in the Dubai Test as evidence that they are moving in the right direction.”We understand the position we are in, but it’s been almost a decade that we have been struggling. We are in situation where we are trying to get things right, but also taking in some young players. It will take some time for these boys to develop and we have to give them the opportunity to do so.”If you have watched our cricket for the last couple of months, we have shown signs of improvement. In Dubai, we put ourselves in a position from where we could have won it. It is just a matter of consistency here.”While consistency may be a longer-term project, West Indies’ immediate task is to find a way to avoid a series whitewash as they head to Sharjah for the third Test. After whitewashes in the T20I and ODI series on the tour so far, even a hard-fought draw in Sharjah might represent progress.Holder said the side must convert starts and take all their chances in order to push for positive results.”The difference between our team and the big teams is that we have not capitalised after getting starts and that is due to the lack of experience. We haven’t carried on. Also, if you give chances to good players, they make you pay. We put down a few chances and that hurt us in this Test match. At this level, giving good players two opportunities is bad.”

Newcastle United midfielder Sean Longstaff “won’t be involved” in the Premier League game vs Brighton and Hove Albion tonight, according to Eddie Howe.

What's the latest injury news on Sean Longstaff?

The Magpies academy graduate was involved in a heavy challenge during the 4-1 win against Everton last month which saw him sustain a foot injury and he therefore hasn’t featured since, missing the three matches against Southampton, Arsenal and Leeds United.

Sky Sports reporter Keith Downie confirmed that the 25-year-old was set to go for a follow-up scan to further assess the extent of his problem, and whilst ChronicleLive soon after revealed that he had suffered no broken bones, not to mention that the manager admitted last week that fans "could see him as early as next week if he improves quickly", he still isn’t ready to stage his comeback to the first-team.

Speaking during Wednesday’s pre-match press conference, Howe confirmed that Longstaff is ruled out of this evening’s fixture vs Brighton, whilst also providing an update on the fitness of Jacob Murphy. As quoted by Newcastle’s official website, he said:

“I think we’re quite clear on the injury but it’s just how long it takes to heal. He made good progress yesterday so let’s see how he feels today but he won’t be involved for this game. Jacob is probably the one doubt we’ll have for the game."

Will Longstaff's absence be a blow for Newcastle?

After Brighton, Newcastle only have two games of the 2022/23 season remaining against Leicester City and Chelsea, so Howe will be hoping to have Longstaff back at his disposal before the conclusion of the current campaign, but in the short-term, it’s definitely a blow for the central midfielder to be ruled out once again.

The St. James’ Park star, who pockets £50k-per-week, has posted seven goal contributions (four assists and three goals) across all competitions this season and has been a regular feature of the first-team having made 27 starts in the top-flight, so he’s clearly viewed as an important member of the squad.

The Magpies’ “superb” dominator, as once lauded by journalist Josh Bunting, also offers wonderful versatility with his ability to operate in five various positions over the pitch, including four in the midfield and even as a second striker, so the sooner he returns to action in the northeast to help try and nail down a place in the Champions League, the better as far as the manager is concerned.

A trio of teenage pace bowlers have been included in the England Lions squad for their one-day tri-series against Pakistan A and Sri Lanka A

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Jul-2016

A trio of teenage pace bowlers have been handed England Lions places for the one-day tri-series against Pakistan A and Sri Lanka A. Lancashire’ Saqib Mahmood, Sussex’s George Garton and Sam Curran of Surrey are part of the 13-man squad which will be captained by Dawid Malan.The trio, part of the England’s Under-19 World Cup squad in Bangladesh earlier this year, are joined in the pace-bowling options by the slightly more senior pair of Tom Curran and Jamie Overton. Sam Curran will join the squad midway through the series so that he is available for Surrey’s Championship match against Hampshire.Worcestershire provide two batsmen in Joe Clarke, who has scored three Championship hundreds this season including a match-winning one against Leicestershire this week, and Brett D’Oliveira, who is also averaging over 50 in the Championship.Liam Livingstone, the hard-hitting Lancashire batsman, has been called-up alongside Northamptonshire’s Ben Duckett and Kent’s Daniel Bell-Drummond.Malan, who was in England’s T20 squad for the match against Sri Lanka but did not get capped, is joined by two players who have played for England in the Hampshire allrounder Liam Dawson, who took three wickets on debut against Sri Lanka, and Sam Billings.The Lions call-ups mean the players will be unavailable for their counties at a time when teams are pushing for knockout places in the Royal London Cup and T20 Blast, but the selectors have done their best to ease disruption and players will be released for T20 Blast matches July 22 which is a day when Pakistan A play Sri Lanka A.”There is a balance of players who have represented the Lions before, with a few new faces for the future who we feel will benefit from the experience of and exposure to Lions cricket,” James Whitaker, the national selector, said. “We also had to be respectful to the counties who have important domestic fixtures, while again balancing that with our own competitiveness, and making sure we can perform well.”Andy Flower, who will be head coach, said: “It is important for the Lions to play home matches in the summer as well as touring during the winter for a number of reasons, and we are grateful to the counties for recognising that if we are going to reap the benefits of playing abroad in the winter, we have to offer the equivalent opportunity to the developing cricketers of Sri Lanka and Pakistan.””We’ve had quite a large transition from last winter’s Lions squad to the national side, and that means we will have a much younger group. That is going to make this a challenging series against some experienced cricketers from Sri Lanka and Pakistan, but it will provide a great opportunity for our young players to test themselves.”The series starts with Pakistan A facing Sri Lanka A at Cheltenham on July 18 before England play their first match against Pakistan A the following day. Northamptonshire then host two matches on July 21 and 22 before the series concludes in Canterbury on July 24 and 25.

Chelsea are enduring one of their worst seasons in recent memory as the prospect of playing European is almost out of the equation, and they are closer to the relegation zone than the top six.

Since Thomas Tuchel’s abrupt sacking, both Graham Potter and Frank Lampard have failed to find the solution to revive this horribly out-of-sorts club.

In particular, watching the Blues attack has been an uneasy experience as their array of offensive talent has been unable to show any consistent creative spark.

One player who has criminally underperformed is Christian Pulisic who looks set for a departure from Stamford Bridge.

What has gone wrong for Christian Pulisic at Chelsea?

The American is having a nightmarish campaign, having only recorded one goal and two assists in 27 appearances, whilst being dismally ranked as the 27th-worst Blues player in the league.

The former Borussia Dortmund man seems to have lost all motivation and wasn’t even included in the matchday squad against Arsenal.

However, Chelsea Joe Cole has defended the £150k-per-week man’s patchy form and said: "He's a super talented footballer. He's won the Champions League with Chelsea and he played a big part by scoring important goals. It's just, I feel sorry for Christian the amount of injuries he's got. It's really stopped his development.

"I think he needs to find his happiness again in a Chelsea shirt. It's very difficult and there's always competition. There are 31 players playing in the Chelsea squad, world-class players a lot of them. He has to find his rhythm again."

However, for a player that has been in West London since 2019 and approaching the prime of his career, it is difficult to justify such wretched performances.

This view was echoed by Jamie Carragher, who delivered a damning indictment of the forward.

He said: “I don’t think he’s good enough to play for Chelsea. I think he’s been there for a few years now. I think he’s had enough opportunities.

“To play week in, week out and make a difference for one of the best teams in the world, he’s not good enough for that right now.

“I’ve said before, I think he’s got great ability. Some of those things I’ve seen him do for Chelsea, the goals he’s scored. But it’s not consistent enough, and he gets injured quite a lot.”

These words have stemmed because of a lengthy run of poor performances, having hardly been too much better last term with eight goals in 38 outings.

The squad must be trimmed this summer and with the star linked to a range of clubs including Manchester United, an exit in the coming weeks looks like a serious possibility that would be best for both parties.

West Ham United topped off a superb week as they cruised to a 4-0 win against Bournemouth away from home, with David Moyes' side surely now safe from relegation.

The Hammers advanced to the Europa Conference League semi-finals with a 4-1 demolition of Gent in midweek and utilised the confidence from that game on the south coast, hitting another four goals to earn a rare away win.

What happened in Bournemouth vs West Ham?

There was a fast start by the Hammers against Gary O'Neil's side as Michail Antonio continued his fine recent form by heading in Aaron Cresswell's corner after just five minutes.

Seven minutes later it was 2-0 from another header, with Lucas Paqueta rising highest to nod in Vladimir Coufal's pinpoint cross, as he also added to his goal against Gent with another this afternoon.

Declan Rice made the points safe before half-time with a powerful finish after another Cresswell corner caused havoc, with the England international enjoying his own strong run of form in front of goal.

The best goal was saved till last, however, as Pablo Fornals produced a scorpion-kick finish from Jarrod Bowen's cutback in the second half to make it 4-0 before Maxwel Cornet was denied his first Premier League goal for the Hammers by the offside flag.

The result leaves Moyes' side in 13th position in the top flight, now six points clear of the relegation spots, which you would hope would be enough to see the Hammers safe.

Who was Moyes' best performer vs Bournemouth?

While there were a number of superb performances from West Ham players on Sunday afternoon, notably goalscorer Rice who was the second highest-rated outfield player on the day, via Sofascore, it was arguably Paqueta who was the star of the show in midfield.

As per Sofascore, the Brazilian would earn a superb 8.2/10 rating for his performance, which was the joint-best of any player to feature in the game at the Vitality Stadium.

The former AC Milan man was a dominant force from both an attacking and defensive perspective, contributing two key passes, five tackles and eight successive duels during his time on the pitch.

Considering he has averaged just one key pass and 2.4 tackles per game in the top flight so far this campaign, it is clear that he raised his game to another level against the Cherries this weekend.

Coufal was full of praise for the Brazil international after a strong display against Newcastle United earlier this year and it seems as if the 25-year-old is finally living up to his price tag at the London Stadium.

The Czech defender said: “I think he needed some time to adapt and understand what the Premier League is about, but I think now he has got a lot of confidence. He scored the goal at Leeds from a penalty, and then he was brilliant here. He never panics with the ball and his technique, his skills are unreal."

It is no surprise that Paqueta's upturn in form has coincided with West Ham's best few results of the campaign, and Moyes will be hoping to see a lot more from the club-record signing again next term.

Everton ended their unbeaten run in the Premier League yesterday when they faced Manchester United at Old Trafford and manager Sean Dyche will be frustrated with the way his team performed from the opening minutes.

The Toffees are teetering on the edge of the relegation zone – matching Nottingham Forest on 27 points – and are only outside the bottom three on goal difference following their defeat to Erik ten Hag's side on Saturday afternoon.

Everton failed to dominate in any area of the pitch with just 36% possession of the ball, far fewer shots on target (1 vs 11), fewer big chances created (1 vs 7) and less than half accurate passes completed compared to their opponents (236 vs 535), via Sofascore.

It was a miracle in itself that the Merseysiders managed to hold off Man United's attacking threat over the first half an hour, with Jordan Pickford putting on an incredible goal-keeping display to deny the home side multiple times before Scott McTominay finally converted one of their 21 shots on goal in the 36th minute to take the lead at half-time.

Dyche sought out solutions to avoid another 45 minutes of being smothered by Man United's pressing machine that was dominating the left side throughout the first half – bringing on Vitaliy Mykolenko for Ben Godfrey.

However, it was the right side that found themselves punished when Seamus Coleman switched off to allow Anthony Martial to easily tuck away the final blow in the 71st minute, making the scoreline 2-0 at the final whistle.

How did Ben Godfrey get on vs Manchester United?

The centre-back has suffered injury issues this season but has always been an attractive prospect to his managers at Goodison Park, with Dyche the latest manager to find ways to fit him into the team.

Godfrey has been playing in the left-back position since returning to action under the Everton boss and more recently, has been preferred in the position over his Ukrainian teammate, however, he had an absolute disaster against Man Utd.

Over his 45-minute performance, the £75k-per-week dud was completely outrun by Antony and struggled to make his presence known with just six accurate passes completed, misplaced 100% of his long balls, had one error led to a shot and had fewer touches of the ball than Pickford.

Dyche quickly put Everton supporters out of their misery by hooking Godfrey at half-time, but not before England legend Stuart Pearce offered a scathing assessment of the player's display on talkSPORT's commentary of the game:

"It’s awful defending. If I was Dyche I would take Godfrey off the pitch. I think he’s having a disaster.

"Even at this stage of the game I’d get him off the pitch, because he’s going to cost you a goal.

"He just wasn’t at the races for whatever reason, Ben Godfrey.

"I like him, a very genuine player, but too many straightforward balls dissected him."

With that being said, there is no doubt that Godfrey's struggles against the Red Devils will give Dyche plenty to think about ahead of the Toffees' next game against Fulham.

And it will be interesting to see whether he keeps the faith in the player or opts for Mykolenko instead.

Leeds have seemingly unearthed another gem in Crysencio Summerville, as the 21-year-old's market value has soared during his time at Elland Road.

How much is Leeds' Crysencio Summerville worth now?

Leeds would sign the Dutch winger when he was just 18, with the teenager joining from Feyenoord in a deal worth only £1.3m in September 2020.

It was something of a risk by Victor Orta given that the wide man had failed to make a single appearance for Feyenoord's first team, although he had caught the eye on loan with ADO Den Haag the season prior, contributing two goals and three assists in 22 appearances for De Residentieclub.

Summerville would make an instant impact with Leeds' U21 side, registering an impressive six goals and six assists in the Premier League 2 during the 2020/21 season, which saw him earn a promotion to the senior side under Marcelo Bielsa in the 2021/22 campaign.

He has since gone on to make 31 appearances for the Whites' senior side, contributing four goals and one assist, all of which came in the top flight this term.

Only Rodrigo has scored more goals for Leeds in the Premier League this season, so it seems fair to suggest that the 21-year-old is now an important member of Javi Gracia's squad, although he will need to contribute more if the Yorkshire outfit are to avoid relegation.

Summerville's four goals came in consecutive fixtures before the World Cup break and he has failed to register on the scoresheet in 11 appearances since then, but he is still just 21 and has plenty of time to work on his consistency as a Leeds player.

The Netherlands U21 international's last goal for the club came in the 4-3 defeat against Tottenham Hotspur in November 2022 and Michael Owen was full of praise for the youngster's technique during the Premier League's coverage of the game.

He said (via Leeds United news): “This is such a good goal. The ball is behind him. He takes one lovely touch with the outside of his foot, then another one to keep him away from the defender and finishes it brilliantly.

“This is a really hard chance. He’s behind the defender in many ways when he gets the ball. I mean how he does that is really, really exceptional.”

Summerville's status as a regular first-teamer at Leeds has unsurprisingly led to his market value increasing significantly in his time at Elland Road, with CIES Football Observatory now valuing him at €10m (£8.84m), which represents an impressive 580% increase on the £1.3m Leeds paid back in 2020.

Therefore, Leeds, and Orta, deserve a huge amount of credit for bringing in the youngster for such a bargain fee three years ago.

Liverpool are believed to be interested in signing Bayern Munich midfielder Ryan Gravenberch this summer, according to a new transfer rumour.

The Lowdown: Gravenberch out of favour

The 20-year-old has emerged as arguably one of the most exiting midfielders of his generation, having initially burst onto the scene at Ajax, making 103 appearances for them.

Gravenberch’s performances earned him a high-profile move to Bayern last summer but he has struggled to reach the hype early on in Germany.

He has only managed just one start in the Bundesliga all season long, as well as making 14 substitute appearances, falling behind others in the midfield pecking order, such as Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka.

While it is still clearly early days for Gravenberch at Bayern, there may be a part of him that is already considering moving on, should Julian Nagelsmann not see a long-term future for him.

That’s where Liverpool come into play, as Jurgen Klopp continues to look at potential midfield signings during the summer transfer window.

The Latest: Liverpool keen on signing

According to a report from Spain [via Caught Offside], the Reds are interested in signing Graveberch at the end of the season, seeing him as a strong option to bring in.

It is even stated that talks are at an advanced stage currently, with new faces required ahead of the likely exits of Naby Keita, James Milner and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

Gravenberch’s current Bayern deal doesn’t expire until the summer of 2027, so it may not be easy to get him on the cheap.

The Verdict: Potentially great addition

Granted, the 11-cap Netherlands international hasn’t pulled up any trees at Bayern so far this season, but he is such a young player that going overboard about his struggles is nothing more than hyperbole.

Gravenberch remains a huge talent with a massive future ahead of him – former Ajax player Wim Kieft once called him a ‘complete’ player – and for that reason the idea of him in a Liverpool shirt is hugely exciting.

The youngster possesses both physicality and technical quality, both of which have been sorely lacking at Liverpool this season, given his 6ft 2in frame and 89.1% pass completion rate in the Bundesliga this season.

At 20, Gravenberch and Jude Bellingham could both come in and represent the future at Anfield, although both are so incredibly mature for their age that they would surely be considered regular starters from the off by Klopp.

Whether or not Bayern are willing to sell so soon remains to be seen, but Liverpool should see it as a shrewd signing in what is a pivotal summer at the club.