India vs England T20Is: The big statistics ahead of India’s do-or-die encounter today | Cricket News – Times of India

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India face a do-or-die challenge in Ahmedabad today against the world’s number one T20 team, England. The English are already 2-1 up in the 5-match series and a win for Eoin Morgan and his boys today will see them win their first bilateral T20 series vs India. Virat Kohli and his men have to win today’s encounter to stay alive in the series and take it into the fifth and final match to decide the series.
Ahead of the crucial fourth T20I here are some big team and individual player statistics:
* England have a chance to record their first multi-game bilateral men’s T20I series victory over India, their record stands at one drawn series and two defeats; they currently lead the five-match series vs India 2-1.
* India have alternated between victory and defeat across their last six men’s T20I matches versus England. They go into the fourth match having suffered an eight-wicket loss against Eoin Morgan’s side in the last encounter (March 16, 2021).
* England have managed to record a win in eight of their last nine men’s T20I matches when chasing
* India tasted an eight-wicket defeat last time out versus England, they have not suffered back-to-back men’s T20I defeats against the same opponent since February 2019 (against Australia).
* Indian captain Virat Kohli needs just 55 runs to become the highest run-getter against England in men’s T20Is, he has scored 496 runs from 15 innings; only Australian Aaron Finch has scored more runs against England (550 runs in 12 innings).
* Indian opener KL Rahul recorded ducks in his last two T20I innings, the only Indian to record more consecutive ducks in men’s T20I is his teammate Washington Sundar (three between December 2019 and January 2020).
* Jason Roy (994) and Dawid Malan (921) are closing in on 1,000 runs in men’s T20I cricket, only five men have reached the milestone for England; Roy is one of the three batsmen to score over 100 runs in this series (Virat Kohli and Jos Buttler are the other two).
* Indian captain Virat Kohli has dropped eight catches in T20Is since the start of 2019, the most recorded by any player from a Test-playing nation during that period
* Jos Buttler recorded his highest ever T20I score during his last time out against India (83*); he has now scored 312 runs versus the host nation, only his captain Eoin Morgan has scored more against India (342).
* England pacer Jofra Archer has bowled 40 dot balls so far in this series, 14 more than any Indian player and has a dot ball rate of 53% which is a series-high number; only one of his 72 deliveries have pitched on a half volley length or fuller.

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Ind vs Eng, 4th T20 | India seeks quick solutions in its bid to keep the series alive

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Home side has to deal with selection questions and powerplay batting issues against Wood and Archer; winning the toss will help, given the success of chasing sides so far

Much was made of the importance of winning the toss and batting first in the preceding Test series, but as it turns out, the spin of the coin has played an equally vital role in the T20Is. Only this time, opting to field has been the preferred option, leading to easy victories for the chasing side in all three outings so far.

Trailing 1-2 in the five-match series, India skipper Virat Kohli will hope to win the toss and bat second in the fourth T20I here on Thursday.

Awkward, sticky bounce

A combination of factors has contributed to this trend. On the slow Narendra Modi Stadium pitches, the early overs have offered an awkward, sticky bounce. This has forced normally attacking batsmen to bide their time in order to come to grips with the surface.

In the first and third T20Is, India’s task was made that much harder by the brilliance of Jofra Archer and Mark Wood. Both England pacers have been rapid, touching the 150 kmph mark, while generating steep bounce from short of a length. They have attacked the stumps as well, evidenced by Wood cleaning up K.L. Rahul with a terrific in-dipper on Tuesday, and when Wood and Archer hit timber to send back Shikhar Dhawan and Rahul respectively in the first outing.

Restricted to measly returns in the PowerPlay — 22/3 in the first T20I and 24/3 in the third — India was forced to play catch-up.

England captain Eoin Morgan has preferred to chase, a sentiment echoed by teammate Jos Buttler. “In T20 cricket in general, there seems to be a trend where batting second is advantageous,” Buttler said, after his unbeaten 83 on Tuesday.

Clarity of thought

Buttler was likely referring to the clarity of thought when hunting a fixed target, as opposed to spending time to assess a good total when batting first. The dew factor under lights — which leads to bowlers facing difficulty in gripping the ball — also sways the argument in favour of chasing.

India, meanwhile, has some selection questions to answer. Will Suryakumar Yadav — left out for the third T20I despite not getting a chance to bat on his international debut on Sunday — be given another chance to prove his worth? And what of Rahul, who has scored only one run in the series so far. If Rahul is dropped, Ishan Kishan could move up from one-drop to opener — a spot where he tasted great success in the second T20I.

The teams (from):

India: Virat Kohli (Capt.), Rohit Sharma, K.L. Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant, Ishan Kishan, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Rahul Tewatia, Rahul Chahar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Navdeep Saini, and Shardul Thakur.

England: Eoin Morgan (Capt.), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Tom Curran, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, Reece Topley, and Mark Wood.

Match starts at 7 p.m.

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ICC Rankings: Virat Kohli rises to 5th in T20I list, only batsman in top 5 across formats | Cricket News – Times of India

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DUBAI: India skipper Virat Kohli has moved back into the top five while England star batsman Jos Buttler has re-entered the top 20 in the latest ICC men’s T20I rankings after blistering performances in their ongoing five-match series in Ahmedabad.
Kohli, a formerly top-ranked batsman in the format and currently number one in ODIs, has gained one slot and a massive 47 rating points after unbeaten knocks of 73 and 77 in the second and third T20I. The India skipper is at the fifth spot and that has made him the only batsman to be placed in the top-5 across all three formats.
Buttler’s match-winning 83 not out in the third match has helped him advance five places to the 19th position, just two shy of his career-best 17th position attained in October 2018.
Shreyas Iyer (up 32 places to 31st) and Rishabh Pant (up 30 places to 80th) have gained among batsmen while all-rounder Washington Sundar (up two places to 11th) and seam bowlers Shardul Thakur (up 14 places to 27th) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (up seven places to 45th) have moved up the list for bowlers.
For England, Jonny Bairstow, who chipped in with 40 runs and was associated in an unbroken 77-run stand with Buttler in the eight-wicket win on Tuesday, has moved up two slots to 14th position in the list led by his compatriot Dawid Malan. Jason Roy has advanced four slots to 24th with scores of 49 and 46 in the first two matches.
Fast bowlers Jofra Archer (up 43 places to 34th) and Mark Wood (up 59 places to 39th), as well as left-arm seam bowler Sam Curran (up 41 places to 74th) have gained in the weekly update for men, carried out on Wednesdays.
In the men’s ODI rankings, wicketkeeper-batsman Shai Hope’s Player of the Series effort against Sri Lanka, in which he had scores of 110, 84 and 64, has helped him gain five slots and reach joint-seventh position, three off his career-best fourth position attained in May 2019.
Nicholas Pooran (up one place to 32nd), Evin Lewis (up 10 places to 44th) and Darren Bravo (up eight places to 99th) are the other West Indies players to move up in the batting list after their team won the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League series 3-0. Fast bowler Alzarri Joseph’s four wickets see him advance seven places to a career-best 27th position.
For Sri Lanka, Danushka Gunathilaka has gained 20 slots to reach 51st position after scoring 187 runs in the series while PWH de Silva (up from 94th to 66th) and Lakshan Sandakan (up from 124th to 99th) are among those to move up the bowlers’ list.
In the men’s Test Rankings, Hashmatullah Shahidi has entered the top 100 after notching up Afghanistan’s first Test double century, which helped his team beat Zimbabwe by six wickets to level the two-match series 1-1. He has rocketed 47 places to 90th position.
Captain Asghar Afghan, who scored 164 and shared a fourth-wicket partnership of 307 with Hashmatullah, has moved up to a career-best 65th place while leg-spinner Rashid Khan’s toil of bowling nearly 100 overs not only earned him returns of four for 138 and seven for 137 but also a reward of nine places to reach 32nd position in the rankings.
Zimbabwe captain Sean Williams is up to a career-best 24th place after scoring 151 while following-on, his tally of 621 rating points the highest for his country since Brendan Taylor in 2014. Donald Tiripano’s knock of 95 in the second innings has helped him progress 22 places to 123rd in the charts.

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India vs England: India ‘class team’, but we are confident of bouncing back, says Jason Roy | Cricket News – Times of India

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AHMEDABAD: England opening batsman Jason Roy on Monday said he is pretty confident that the side would make a comeback in the third T20I against India at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Tuesday.
Roy has been in good form in the ongoing T20I series against India as he has recorded scores of 49 and 46 in the first two matches. The series currently stands level at 1-1 after India won the second T20I by seven wickets.
“I am very confident that we can bounce back. India is a class team, but the way we started the series in the first game, was a bit more comprehensive than what they gave us last night. I think going into the third game, we are full of confidence, in the last eight overs of our batting yesterday, we found it a bit difficult, we are a fast learning side so I am confident that we will bounce back,” said Roy during a virtual press conference on Monday.

“I learnt that I am staying on my shots a little bit more. You saw a couple of my reverse sweeps, I missed some of the balls but I rectified it during the course of my innings and it is just a pitch where you have to pick your bowler. Unfortunately, the bowler I picked got me out, Washington was the guy I was looking to target, unfortunately, it did not go my way. It was a slow and tough pitch, they made light work of it,” he added.
Roy scored 46 in the second T20I and he was looking set for a big one, but his vigil at the crease was ended by Washington Sundar and in the end, England was restricted to just 164 in the allotted twenty overs.

“I think the whole squad has played a huge amount of cricket in the sub-continent, playing in this five-match series and then the ODIs, it will hold us in good stead. Last night, we made a few mistakes, it was all fun. Still looking for that big score, those 40s are great, but to get a competitive total in T20Is, you need someone getting a big score. There is still a lot to improve on,” said Roy.
“I just think the last year has been a huge learning curve, everything that went on with Covid-19 and bubble life, with all this stuff that could cloud your judgment, it has been a huge learning curve. That is all behind me and I am looking forward to the next innings. I think that’s my target, my mindset is to get the best possible start for the team, put aside how I might be feeling, my job is to not mess around, really,” he added.

Further elaborating on his point, Roy said: “To score a hundred in the T20 format, you need to be ultra-aggressive. You are looking to face a maximum of 60 balls and then scoring a hundred, you need to be aggressive. It is a mixture of aggression and pretty calculated stuff if you want to get those big scores. If you live by the sword, you need to be willing to die by it.”
When asked about his take on ECB‘s rotation policy, Roy said: “It is quite an easy stance to take from outside of these bubbles. I think the rest side of the things is coming as the mental well-being of players needs to be looked at. We are here for three weeks, but the Test team first went on to Sri Lanka, and then it was here. That is mentally taxing on you and your family, so from my point of view, they are just taking a mental rest and it is not anything physical. This environment is quite demanding.”

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India vs England, 2nd T20I: Virat Kohli, Ishan Kishan power India to seven-wicket win against England | Cricket News – Times of India

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The last three months have been such for Indian cricket that the safest move seems to be throwing an untested rookie in the deep end and the results are almost certain to follow. Sunday was one such night for debutant Ishan Kishan. 23 years old, high on a successful IPL and groomed by the caretakers of Indian cricket for five years, Ishan was like a pro-surfer playing with the high tides to set up a series-levelling eight-wicket win in the second T20I against England in front of 67000-strong crowd in Ahmedabad.
SCORECARD | HIGHLIGHTS

The target of 165 on a seemingly two-paced pitch looked challenging enough when India lost KL Rahul in the first over of the chase. There was captain Virat Kohli, in search of form, joining Ishan. Well, Ishan took it on himself to ease his captain into some rhythm as he devoured a well-oiled English attack to bring up half-century on debut off 28 balls.

Ishan ensured India didn’t lose any of the momentum provided by Bhuvneshwar Kumar (1/28) and Shardul Thakur’s (2/29) immaculate spell of death bowling that restricted England’s charge while setting a target.

England strangely decided to give up on the plan of raw pace in this match. Ishan took a liking to it. Stokes dropped him on 41 and he said thank you by mowing Adil Rashid into the stands twice to bring up his half-century. Every hit to the fence was as much a statement as every cautious dabs into the outfield. Such is the game these days that you can’t blame Ishan for being trapped LBW to Rashid while attempting a reverse sweep on 56.

Virat Kohli and Ishan Kishan (AFP Photo)
Ishan’s dream debut set it up for Kohli to do his business with consummate ease—closing out chases. The red-hot Rishabh Pant came in at 94/2 after 10 overs and ensured the tempo didn’t drop. He pumped two sixes and two boundaries for a 13-ball 26, easing the burden off his captain who has been carrying out chases almost single-handedly for years.

The scoreboard may suggest Kohli anchored another chase with a measured unbeaten 48-ball 67 but it was these two young boys who made the tricky chase innocuous in the end.
The Indian T20 set-up had a philosophy so far. On Sunday night, they saw a plan taking shape. ‘Explosive’ is what they promised. It took two boys who played U-19 cricket together to offer some substance to the philosophy. Ishan and Pant make sure the team’s marquee draws don’t risk their wickets and provide the stability. The Kohli six off Jordan to seal the deal with 13 balls to spare is just the kind of dominant he had harped on going into the series.

Ishan Kishan (Getty Images)
The bowlers look in control. They didn’t let any of the English batsmen to run away with the game with Jason Roy being the highest scorer with a 35-ball 46. They have done so for most part over the last two years in T20 cricket. But you could really sense Kohli’s joy every time he had his arms around the shoulders of Ishan and Pant after they tonked the ball to the boundary.

Sunday’s knock may be just another run-off-the-mill knock by Kohli’s standards but the captain, for once, would have enjoyed playing the second fiddle out there in the middle. Kohli’s blade has started producing runs with authority.
The young blood in the team is giving shape to his philosophy of uninhibited cricket. There’s a method to their sprint now. It’s about saving themselves and run the full course when the T20 World Cup arrives in India in October this year.



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News18 Evening Digest: India to Review AstraZeneca Covid Vaccine and Other Top Stories

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After Blood Clot Concerns in Europe, India to Review AstraZeneca Covid Vaccine

The Centre will carry out a deeper review of post-vaccination side effects from the AstraZeneca Covid vaccine shot next week. This comes in the wake of Denmark, Norway, Iceland and Thailand temporarily halting vaccination with the drug, after isolated reports of recipients developing blood clots. LIVE UPDATES

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WATCH: Washington Sundar & Jonny Bairstow Involved in Verbal Spat, Umpire Intervenes

Team India suffered a crushing defeat against England in the first T20I at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. On the day, nothing went India’s way — in batting, bowling, or even fielding. In fact, there was an on-field clash between Washington Sundar and Jonny Bairstow, that caught everyone’s attention. READ MORE

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Five options for openers, nine for fast bowlers in Test cricket: Indian cricket’s happy problem of plenty across formats | Cricket News – Times of India

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Indian cricket finds itself in an enviable position these days as far as player options are concerned. It’s no secret that the bench strength of Indian cricket looks very good. So much so that someone like T Natarajan went from net bowler to strike bowler in the limited overs series and then the Test series in Australia and did very well.
Across all three formats, selectors and the team management have a happy problem of plenty on their hands. Head coach Ravi Shastri in fact recently said in response to a question asked by TOI that India can field two separate playing XIs on the field.
With more and more youngsters taking the IPL route to prove their worth, multiple players are now knocking on the doors of the National team in all formats. The competition currently is the staunchest in T20 cricket. However, even in the longest format, young players like Shubman Gill, Washington Sundar and Axar Patel are making a very strong case for themselves.
While some players like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, R Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah and a few others are always first choice picks depending on the format etc, there is a lot of competition for a spot in the Indian playing XI.
Multiple uncapped players are also knocking on the door.
TimesofIndia.com takes a look at the various contenders for a playing XI berth across all three formats here. This includes regular first choice picks and those who are also good candidates, including uncapped players.
The lists are divided into six categories – Openers, middle order (numbers 3-5), all-rounders, wicket-keepers, spinners and fast bowlers. Take a look:
INDIA’S HAPPY PROBLEM OF PLENTY IN TESTS:
This list has 5 openers, 5 middle order batsmen, 3 all-rounders, 5 wicket-keepers (2 uncapped), 5 spinners and 9 fast bowlers:

00:49India’s happy problem of plenty in Tests

India's happy problem of plenty in Tests

INDIA’S HAPPY PROBLEM OF PLENTY IN ODIS:
This list has 3 openers, 5 middle order batsmen, 3 all-rounders, 4 wicket-keepers, 4 spinners and 7 fast bowlers

00:42India’s happy problem of plenty in ODIs

India's happy problem of plenty in ODIs

INDIA’S HAPPY PROBLEM OF PLENTY IN T20IS:
This list has 3 openers, 5 middle order batsmen, 5 all-rounders, 4 wicket-keepers, 6 spinners and 13 fast bowlers

00:49India’s happy problem of plenty in T20Is

India's happy problem of plenty in T20Is

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Pant reaches career-best seventh position in ICC Test rankings, Ashwin moves up to second | Cricket News – Times of India

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DUBAI: Following his breathtaking century in the fourth Test against England, young Indian wicketkeeper batsman Rishabh Pant on Wednesday achieved a career-best seventh position in the ICC Test rankings.
Pant has jumped seven places after smashing a match-winning 101 in the Ahmedabad Test, which India won by an innings and 25 runs to clinch the series 3-1.
The 23-year-old shares the seventh place in the batsmen rankings with compatriot Rohit Sharma, who moved up one spot, and Henry Nicholls of New Zealand.

Washington Sundar, who also played a crucial role in India’s passage to the final of the ICC World Test Championship, has gained 39 places and is in 62nd position, thanks to his 96 not out, but captain Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara had below-par series.
Kohli, who remains fifth, is at his lowest points tally since November 2017 while Pujara (13th) is under 700 rating points for the first time since September 2016.
Indian spin duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel, who ripped through the England innings time and again during the series, also made it memorable in the bowlers’ rankings.
Ashwin, the player of the series, has leapfrogged New Zealand’s Neil Wagner to the second position among bowlers, the first time since August 2017, after finishing with eight wickets in the match.

He is also ranked fourth among all-rounders, now ahead of Shakib Al Hasan.
Patel’s nine wickets have lifted him eight places to 30th with 552 rating points. Only two bowlers have achieved more points after their first three Tests – former India leg-spinner Narendra Hirwani (564) and Australia fast bowler Charlie Turner (553) who played in the 19th century.
For England, Dan Lawrence has moved up 47 places to 93rd among batsmen with scores of 46 and 50 and James Anderson has moved up two places to fourth position after his haul of three for 44 in Ahmedabad.

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Bigger pandemic squads helped boost new Indian cricket talent: Ravi Shastri | Cricket News – Times of India

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AHMEDABAD: India’s new Test cricket heroes have pandemic-induced squad regulations to thank for getting their shot in the Australia and England series, coach Ravi Shastri said Sunday.
Given the added risk of fatigue and injuries in the “bio-bubbles” needed to stage international games during the coronavirus crisis, teams have been allowed to have larger travelling squads.
Most Indian players have been in one bubble or another, with only small breaks since the Indian Premier League in September.

“You had to dig deep and pick your best 30 players. It’s a good headache to have,” Shastri told reporters.
“It has worked well, you would have never imagined the number of players that would have played for India, six months ago.”

All-rounder Washington Sundar and paceman T. Natarajan had an extended stay in Australia as part of the travelling squad, and have since made dream starts to their Test careers.
“If you think Natarajan would have played a Test, no way. Would Washington Sundar (have) played a Test, no way. But circumstances make it happen,” said Shastri.

“And I’m glad the youngsters who got the opportunity, have grabbed it with both hands.”
India’s new talent played a key role in helping the side reach the World Test Championship final against New Zealand in June.

Sundar played a gritty knock with Shardul Thakur — another bowler who got a lucky Test Down Under — in India’s historic Test series triumph in Brisbane and proved his mettle again with an unbeaten 96 against England on Saturday.
Left-arm spinner Axar Patel made most of his debut in the England series with 27 wickets in three matches after replacing the injured Ravindra Jadeja.
Shastri praised the new players for playing “fearless cricket”.

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Not at all disappointed to miss my maiden Test ton: Washington Sundar | Cricket News – Times of India

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AHMEDABAD: Bowling all-rounder Washington Sundar, who played a pivotal role in India’s emphatic innings win in the fourth Test against England, doesn’t regret missing out on what would have been a well-deserved maiden hundred for him.
Sundar was left stranded on 96 as India got dismissed for 365 in their first innings on the third day of the Test match here at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
“To win my first series at home is amazing and feels great. I am not at all disappointed to miss the hundred. The 100 will come when it’s the right time for me. I am happy to contribute to the team,” said Sundar after the completion of the match.

The off-spinner played three matches in the Test series against England in which he scored 181 runs, besides picking two wickets. The 21-year-old, in his debut game in Australia, had also scored valuable 82 runs in the series decider at The Gabba, besides scalping four wickets, thus helping India win the Border-Gavaskar series 2-1.
He further said that the pitch was very good to bat on and all it required was a bit of application from the batters.

“To be honest, the pitch was very good to bat on. Credit to (James) Anderson, (Ben) Stokes for getting assistance on this surface, they bowled really well. The wicket is still good to bat on. If you apply yourself you can score,” Sundar said.
With the win, Virat Kohli‘s men also qualified for the inaugural ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final where they will face New Zealand at the Lord’s from June 18 to 22.

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