Cricket

India's captain, Rohit Sharma, has strongly refuted comments made by England batter Ben Duckett, who suggested that England's "Bazball" approach had influenced Yashasvi Jaiswal's aggressive batting style. Rohit's response, delivered at a press conference on the eve of the fifth Test in Dharamsala, was a clear reminder of the impact of Rishabh Pant's fearless batting."There was a guy called Rishabh Pant in our team, probably Ben Duckett hasn't seen him play," Rohit stated.Jaiswal has emerged as India's leading run-scorer in the series, amassing 655 runs in four matches at an impressive average of 94.57 and a strike rate of 78.63. Duckett's comments, made after witnessing Jaiswal's boundary-filled innings in the Rajkot Test, implied that England's aggressive style had inspired the young Indian batter."When you see players from the opposition playing like that, it almost feels like we should take some credit that they're playing differently than how other people play Test cricket," Duckett had said.Rohit's response was not the only criticism of Duckett's remarks. Former England captain Nasser Hussain also condemned the player's comments."He's not learned from you. He's learned from his upbringing, all the hard yards he had to put in growing up. If anything, lads, look at him and learn from him. I hope there's a little bit of self-introspection going on. Otherwise, it becomes a cult - and, at times, Bazball and this regime has been described as such, where you cannot criticise within or externally," Hussain said on Sky Sports.Rohit's firm stance and Hussain's criticism highlight the importance of acknowledging the individual talent and hard work of players, rather than attributing their success solely to external influences.

Ravichandran Ashwin, India's veteran spinner, was forced to leave the Rajkot Test against England after the second day's play due to a family emergency. Ashwin, who had reached the 500-wicket milestone earlier that day, addressed the press conference after the final session and immediately departed for home.The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) initially stated that it was a "family emergency" that prompted Ashwin's departure, but it was later revealed that the situation involved his mother's health. Ashwin himself has not yet spoken about the matter, but his wife Prithi explained the situation in a column she penned ahead of the cricketer's 100th Test.In her column for the Indian Express, Prithi revealed that Ashwin's mother suddenly collapsed, prompting the family to rush her to the hospital. However, instead of calling Ashwin, Prithi contacted Cheteshwar Pujara to arrange for the spinner's return."During Rajkot, the kids had just got back from school when five minutes later, he got to 500. And soon, all of us were on the phone answering all the congratulatory messages," Prithi wrote. "It was then that I heard a sudden scream from aunty as she collapsed, and in no time we were at the hospital. At that point, we had decided not to tell Ashwin because there wasn't good flight connectivity between Chennai and Rajkot."Prithi then called Pujara, whose family helped arrange Ashwin's return flight. After the scans, the doctor suggested that Ashwin's presence would be beneficial, so Prithi informed him of the situation."Over the phone, he sounded so broken and hung up. It took another 20-25 minutes to process what I told him and for him to call back. And thanks to Rohit (Sharma), Rahul bhai (Dravid) and the others in the team and the BCCI - who followed up all the way till he reached here - he got here late at night," she added.Ashwin arrived home and found his mother in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Fortunately, she recovered, allowing Ashwin to return to Rajkot and rejoin his teammates on Day 4 of the Test."It was a very emotional moment for him to see his mom in the ICU. And after she stabilized, we asked him to rejoin the team. Given his personality, he would never leave a game like that. And he would have an extreme amount of guilt if he didn't win the game for his team. Through those couple of days, I realized his yearning for time with his parents is a lot more now and it is coming with age and maturity," Prithi said.

Tom Hartley, England's rising star spinner, is eagerly anticipating the opportunity to learn from Nathan Lyon, Australia's legendary off-spinner, during their time together at Lancashire in the 2024 season. Hartley, who has impressed with his performances in India, believes Lyon's guidance will be invaluable in his development.Despite Lyon's arrival, Hartley remains confident in his abilities. He acknowledges the need to improve his seam presentation, particularly in English conditions, and sees Lyon as the ideal mentor to help him achieve this. Hartley also recognizes the importance of developing his batting skills to become a more versatile all-rounder.Hartley's batting prowess has been evident in India, where he has scored 159 runs, including a crucial 34 in the second innings of the first Test. He believes that improving his batting will make him a more valuable asset to both Lancashire and England.Hartley's six-hitting exploits have also caught the attention of England's management. He has struck more sixes than any other England player in the series, a feat that has earned him praise from head coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes.Hartley is determined to continue his impressive form in the remaining two Tests against India. He hopes to add to his tally of 20 wickets and potentially surpass R Ashwin's record of five sixes conceded in a single series.

India's rising star Yashasvi Jaiswal has earned his maiden nomination for the ICC Men's Player of the Month award for February 2024, a testament to his exceptional performances in the Test series against England.Jaiswal's remarkable form played a pivotal role in India's comeback after trailing 1-0 following the loss in the Hyderabad Test. He displayed an exceptional performance by hitting consecutive double centuries in Visakhapatnam and Rajkot during the month, with the latter equaling the record for the most sixes in a Test innings, achieving an impressive 12.Continuing his prolific run, Jaiswal added more runs in the fourth Test at Ranchi, which included a half-century in the first innings. By the end of February, the 22-year-old had accumulated a total of 560 runs at an outstanding average of 112.The back-to-back double hundreds at the age of 22 years and 49 days also made him the third youngest batter in the world to record two double centuries in Tests after Sir Donald Bradman and Vinod Kambli. Jaiswal has also risen to the top of the leading run-scorer list in the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25 cycle.New Zealand's Kane Williamson and Sri Lanka's Pathum Nissanka are the other nominees for the ICC Men's Player of the Month award. Williamson is nominated for the honor for the first time since March 2023 after another series of century scores dominated the headlines in New Zealand's first-ever Test series victory over South Africa.Nissanka, on the other hand, excelled in Sri Lanka's recent three ODIs and three T20Is against Afghanistan, smashing the first ever ODI double-century for his country at Pallekele (210 not out in 139 balls) to begin the month in a blistering fashion.In the ICC Women's Player of the Month award for February 2024, UAE duo of Kavisha Egodage and Esha Oza have been shortlisted alongside Australia all-rounder Annabel Sutherland.

The Indian cricket team is gearing up for the fourth Test against England in Ranchi, and uncapped pace bowler Akash Deep has emerged as a strong contender to partner Mohammed Siraj in the playing XI. Deep has been impressive in the optional training sessions, showcasing his pace and accuracy. He was seen bowling at full intensity alongside his Bengal teammate Mukesh Kumar at the nets and also engaged in an extensive batting session on the eve of the Test.With India missing key players like Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, and Shreyas Iyer, they have been forced to hand debut caps to Rajat Patidar, Dhruv Jurel, and Sarfaraz Khan. The absence of pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah has also opened up a spot in the bowling attack, and Deep is eager to seize the opportunity.Home team batting coach Vikram Rathour praised Deep's skills, saying, "Anybody who gets into the Indian team has to be a special cricketer. He (looks) like a really good bowler who has done really well in domestic cricket. He has got a decent pace, bowls a good line, looks really good."The upcoming Test in Ranchi is expected to have overcast conditions and cooler temperatures compared to the previous venues. This shift in weather could favor the seamers, and Deep's pace and ability to bowl in-dippers could prove valuable. If selected, Deep would become the 313th Indian cricketer to represent the country in Test cricket.Mukesh Kumar, another pace-bowling option, is also in contention for a spot in the playing XI. He was released ahead of the third Test in Rajkot but is back in the mix for Ranchi. However, his lackluster performance in the second Test at Visakhapatnam, where he went wicketless in the first innings and conceded 44 runs in seven overs, may count against him.England, on the other hand, have finalized their playing XI, bringing back Ollie Robinson in place of Mark Wood. Robinson will partner with the experienced James Anderson, while Shoaib Bashir, Tom Hartley, and part-time bowler Joe Root will handle the spin duties.During the optional practice session, India had a light turnout, with only a few players participating in the nets. Shubman Gill, R Ashwin, Akash Deep, KS Bharat, Washington Sundar, and Devdutt Padikkal were among those who attended the session.India currently leads the five-Test series 2-1, and a win in Ranchi would give them an unassailable 3-1 lead. The match promises to be an exciting contest between two evenly matched teams.

The Indian cricket team will be without the services of key players KL Rahul and Jasprit Bumrah for the upcoming fourth Test against England in Ranchi, starting February 23. Rahul, who has been struggling with a right quadriceps injury, has not been able to recover in time, while Bumrah has been released from the squad as part of workload management.Rahul's absence is a significant blow to India's batting lineup. The right-hander was in impressive form in the opening Test in Hyderabad, scoring a century before succumbing to the injury. He was also the only Indian centurion in the drawn two-match Test series in South Africa in December.Bumrah's release from the squad is a precautionary measure, considering the heavy workload he has endured in the first three Tests. The pace spearhead has bowled 80.5 overs so far in the series, taking 17 wickets, including a match-winning spell in the second Test in Visakhapatnam.India are well-placed to seal the series in Ranchi, leading 2-1 after the first three Tests. However, if they are unable to do so, they will desperately need the services of Bumrah for the fifth and final Test in Dharamsala, beginning March 7.In the absence of Rahul and Bumrah, India have called up pacer Mukesh Kumar to the squad. Kumar, who was released from the squad for the third Test in Rajkot to play a Ranji game for Bengal, has joined the team in Ranchi.India's updated squad for the fourth Test:* Rohit Sharma (C)* Yashasvi Jaiswal* Shubman Gill* Rajat Patidar* Sarfaraz Khan* Dhruv Jurel (WK)* KS Bharat (WK)* Devdutt Padikkal* R Ashwin* Ravindra Jadeja* Axar Patel* Washington Sundar* Kuldeep Yadav* Mohd. Siraj* Mukesh Kumar* Akash Deep