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Stats highlights from the third day’s play between England and India at Lord’s

Sampath Bandarupalli12-Jul-20251:58

Manjrekar: Rahul hasn’t put a foot wrong

9 Number of Tests in which teams have tied their first-innings scores, including the Lord’s Test between England and India.5 350-plus totals for India in five innings in this series, after they scored 387 at Lord’s. Only once before has a team had five consecutive 350-plus totals in an away Test series – India did it against England in 2002.4 Four hundreds for KL Rahul in Tests in England and all of them as an opener. No other Indian opener has more than two Test tons in England. By scoring 100 at Lord’s on Saturday, it was also the first time in his career that Rahul scored more than one century in a Test series.Related

• Big-game Stokes pushes his limits to keep England alive

• 'Disappointing for both of us' – Rahul says rush for century led to Pant run-out

2 Indian batters with multiple Test hundreds at Lord’s. Dilip Vengsarkar scored three in four Tests at Lord’s, while Rahul has two, having scored one in 2021.Rahul is also one of four visiting openers with multiple Test tons at Lord’s. Bill Brown, Gordon Greenidge and Graeme Smith also have two centuries as openers at Lord’s.3 Number of 100-plus partnerships between Rahul and Rishabh Pant in Tests in England, the most for an Indian pair. Their previous two century stands were 204 at The Oval in 2018 and 195 at Leeds in 2025.8 Fifty-plus scores for Pant in Tests in England, the joint most for a visiting wicketkeeper in a country. MS Dhoni also has eight fifty-plus scores in England.36 Sixes hit by India so far in this series, the most by a team in an away Test series. The previous highest was 32 by West Indies against India in 1974-75 and also by New Zealand against Pakistan in the U.A.E. in 2014.6 Number of bowlers on both sides to bowl at least ten overs in their respective first innings at Lord’s. the last time this happened was in 2009, in the Bridgetown Test between West Indies and England.

After years of setbacks and near-burnout, Rath returns to a familiar place with renewed hope and a joy in cricket he never thought he’d find again

Shashank Kishore07-Sep-2025When Anshuman Rath returned to Hong Kong in early 2023, he was “cooked.” He contemplated a career in insurance, finance or real estate, instead of trying to return to a team he’d captained as a teenager. At 25, a promising cricket career was at the crossroads.Two years of playing for Odisha in India’s domestic circuit had drained him mentally, emotionally, even physically. He was 20 kilos heavier, nursing injuries, and battling a deep sense of disillusionment. The game he loved as a teenager felt like a burden.”I’m someone who enjoys cricket because of the camaraderie, the team environment. In Odisha, I just wasn’t feeling it,” Rath, back as Hong Kong’s batting lynchpin, tells ESPNcricinfo in Dubai ahead of the Asia Cup. “I was questioning myself, doubting every decision I’d made.”Related

• Back-to-back games plus travel 'not ideal' – Asalanka, Rashid on gruelling schedules

• It's showtime as winless Hong Kong take on wounded Afghanistan to kick off Asia Cup

• 'Maybe I have something…' – the phenomenal rise of Noor Ahmad

• Will UAE punch above their weight in Group A?

• All you need to know about the men's T20 Asia Cup

Rath felt stifled by the culture, the regimentation, the senior-junior divide in Odisha. Youngsters would be berated publicly, something Rath, who had grown up in cosmopolitan Hong Kong, struggled to reconcile with.”I remember once being made fun of for eating rice and with a spoon,” he recalls. “It sounds silly, but when you have no one to talk to, no support system, those things hit you hard. No matter what level you play, if you’re not enjoying it or you’re not in the right frame of mind you’re wasting your time.”So I called my dad, literally almost in tears being like, ‘what am I doing here? I just don’t want to do it.’ I had played two years of it, but didn’t have anything more to give.”When I felt it the most, I remember getting injured during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy [2022-23, India’s domestic T20 competition]. Wasim Jaffer was our head coach. He sent me to get a scan in Mumbai. So I went there and started punching myself in the collarbone to make it worse so that I wouldn’t have to play more. It was that bad.”For me, I’m a massive team person. So I love playing with my teammates. That’s why I don’t think of it as work. Whereas when I was in Odisha, the environment wasn’t like that. The coaches had their favourites. I actually played the rest of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy with that injury. It was just an awful time.”It was around this time that Rath turned to food for comfort.”When you’re in that state of mind, there are very few things that make you happy,” he says. ‘For me, it was food – eating just to survive, to feel something. It was the only enjoyment I was getting. I piled on 20 kilos. I completely lost the plot.”Anshuman Rath – “No matter what level you play, if you’re not enjoying it, you’re wasting your time”•Getty Images

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This wasn’t how it was supposed to be.Rath’s journey had already taken him through the heartbreak of visa denials in England – which ended a near-signed deal with Middlesex – and a tough, lonely stint in Christchurch as he tried to qualify to play for New Zealand in late 2018.Canterbury Cricket had sponsored Rath a three-year work-to-residence visa for him to potentially qualify for New Zealand. He’d put his studies on hold for it initially, but found the move harder than he’d thought.”Because I was 21 at the time and the whole Middlesex thing had happened, I hadn’t really processed the whole thing yet,” he says. “The trauma of going through the Middlesex visa stuff, the ECB visa stuff. I didn’t really want to do more qualifying.”To spend another three years, it was kind of daunting. Obviously, they’re lovely people in New Zealand. But, it was the other side of the world. You know, you wake up in the morning, you don’t know who to call. Because all the people you know are asleep.”Rath eventually didn’t sign the document to pledge himself to New Zealand via the qualifying path. He chose something that was slightly easier. At the time, though, he didn’t know that too would be quite be, what he says, was an “un-ending nightmare.””So, then I made the decision. I had an Indian passport, so I thought I might as well use it, so we decided to test the Indian waters,” Rath continues. “I had to start from scratch but I was fine. As long as I didn’t have all these three-year qualifying rules again. I knew I had to serve a one-year cooling off period, and I was fine with that.”After trying with a few teams, Rath identified Vidarbha as his home in India. And for a while, it seemed like the perfect environment. He was received warmly and he thrived in the club cricket ecosystem alongside the likes of Jitesh Sharma, Faiz Fazal, Atharva Taide, and Harsh Dubey among others.”Every time I walk on the field now, I’m smiling, I’m laughing. And I think that shows in my cricket too”•Peter Della Penna”It reminded me of the systems in the UK. Structured, professional, with a clear pathway to the senior team. I loved it,” he remembers.But administrative roadblocks derailed his plans. A registration issue with the BCCI – according to the Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA) – meant he couldn’t be picked despite completing his cooling-off period. Rath later checked with a lawyer contact in the BCCI if there were issues with his paperwork. He was told there wasn’t any, and he was green lit.”That was a real sinking moment,” he says. “I don’t like politics. I’ve always believed in letting my bat do the talking. To be told I couldn’t play despite doing everything right was hard to take.”What followed was a downward spiral that eventually took him to Odisha, his home state, where his grandparents live. It should have felt like a homecoming. Instead, those three years drained him.”No matter what level you play, if you’re not enjoying it, you’re wasting your time,” he says. “I was just going through the motions.”On a cold January morning in 2023, when Odisha were put in to bat on a green top in nondescript Nadaun (in Himachal Pradesh) in a Ranji Trophy fixture, he finally took a decision that had been simmering underneath for months.”I was like I don’t even want to play on a flat track, let alone here,” Rath says. “I walked up to the coach on day two and told him, ‘please book me a flight back to Bhubaneswar.’ I knew that was that. I spoke to the association people, they said, you’re doing fine, stay back. But I was like no, that was it.”For Rath, a prodigiously talented left-hander who once nearly helped Hong Kong pull off a giant ODI upset against India at the Asia Cup in 2018, it was the closest he’d ever come to turning his back on the game.When Rath returned to Hong Kong in February 2023, he was ready to walk away from cricket entirely.”I told my dad I was never touching a bat again,” he says. “I was ready to try my hand at the corporate world – finance, real estate, insurance, whatever. Just something different.”

“I don’t like politics. I’ve always believed in letting my bat do the talking. To be told I couldn’t play despite doing everything right was hard to take”Rath on his turbulent time in India

That’s when Mark Farmer, Cricket Hong Kong’s High Performance manager who’d known Rath from his younger days, stepped in.”He sat me down and said, ‘Let us know what you need. We’re happy to give you a contract right now.’ I hadn’t even played,” Rath says. “And they were willing to give me that love, that faith. It was the first time I’d felt something like that in five or six years. I almost teared up.”Rath eased his way back, found his rhythm, his fitness, and most importantly, his love for the game. “I wake up in Hong Kong now, have meals with my family, and enjoy the vibe of the city. There’s a sense of freedom I hadn’t felt in so long. I laugh more on the field. I banter with teammates. I enjoy touring again. I’m just grateful to be playing.”For Rath, who once captained his country at 20 and chased professional cricket across three continents only to nearly give it all up, his return to Hong Kong has been a second coming.”This isn’t going to last forever,” Rath says. “So every time I walk on the field now, I’m smiling, I’m laughing. And I think that shows in my cricket too.”

If he makes his debut, Brendan Doggett will become just the third Indigenous man after Jason Gillespie and Scott Boland to play Test cricket for Australia

AAP16-Nov-2025Seven years after Brendan Doggett was first picked in an Australia squad, the ultimate late-bloomer is poised to become the country’s 472nd Test cricketer.After the untimely hamstring injury to in-form quick Josh Hazlewood, Doggett is set to make his debut when the Ashes gets underway at Optus Stadium in Perth on Friday. The 31-year-old will slot into Australia’s fast-bowling attack alongside Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland, a man with many similarities to his journey.Just two Indigenous men – Boland and Jason Gillespie – have represented Australia in almost 150 years of Test cricket. But Doggett is set to become the third, learning more about his Aboriginal heritage in his 20s after first earning a contract with Queensland Bulls.Related

• Weatherald's 'pinch me' moment after Test selection

• Anderson says 'weak' Australia are still Ashes favourites

• Will Australia's pitches be juicy for the Ashes?

• How the Australians have prepared for the Ashes

Proudly from Toowoomba, the man with 190 first-class wickets has spent the last four seasons helping South Australia rise from perennial battlers to Sheffield Shield champions.Doggett first received a call-up to an Australia squad in 2018, just months after the ball-tampering scandal in South Africa. Injuries slowed him down, but a move to South Australia in 2021 to become the leader of their attack has paid off.He has been consistently named in Australian squads over the past 18 months, stuck behind Starc, Hazlewood and captain Pat Cummins. But with Cummins and Hazlewood both injured for the start of the Ashes defence, the three-time Shield winner should get his shot.”He’s one of the quicker bowlers in Australia,” Gillespie, who coached Doggett for South Australia, told ABC Radio on Sunday. “Got a good motor, he’s a greyhound and is as fit as a fiddle. He’s ready to go.

“His path to a potential Baggy Green is not a common one in the modern game. It just shows the value of our local competitions, plying away and working on your craft”Jason Gillespie on Brendan Doggett

“England will sniff an opportunity [without Cummins and Hazlewood], but I’m confident the Australian seam attack is good enough to get the job done.”Doggett’s selection will only prompt further “Dad’s Army” jibes from England.Like Tasmania allrounder Beau Webster did in January, Doggett will join a small club to have made their Test debuts for Australia without having played a white-ball international in their 20s. Before Webster was brought in for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy decider, Bryce McGain was the only member of that group. If Jake Weatherald is selected to open the batting with Usman Khawaja in Perth, he will also be making his international debut at 31.If Jake Weatherald plays the Perth Test, Australia will have two 30-plus debutants in the same game•Getty ImagesDoggett never made any representative team until he was in his 20s, eventually making his domestic debut for the former Cricket Australia XI that played in the One-Day Cup in October 2016.He was plucked out of local cricket in his 20s, after dominating for Toowoomba Souths.”His path to a potential Baggy Green is not a common one in the modern game,” Gillespie said. “It just shows the value of our local competitions, plying away and working on your craft.”Doggett’s former Queensland team-mate Michael Neser was added to the squad on Saturday when Hazlewood was ruled out. If Hazlewood and Cummins still aren’t fit for the second Test at the Gabba, Neser could join Doggett in the XI.The only two Tests of Neser’s career were with the pink ball, with Australia preferring to play four quicks instead of veteran spinner Nathan Lyon when they last played a day-nighter.

Phil Foden has been warned that he's the attacking midfielder most likely to lose their England World Cup spot, with Jude Bellingham backed to be on the plane. The Real Madrid man's omission from October's squad cast doubt over his place in Thomas Tuchel's setup. His November recall, and especially his starting role against Albania, eased those concerns.

• Bellingham dug out after being subbed

  Bellingham showed clear disappointment when his number went up during the 2-0 win in Tirana. He didn’t erupt, sulk, or storm off, but he didn’t disguise his frustration either. Tuchel admitted afterwards that he hadn’t even noticed it during the match.

  "I’ll have to review it," he said with a shrug. "We're about standards, commitment and respect to each other. We'll not change our decision just because someone is waving their arms." 

  While all eyes were on Bellingham’s every gesture, Foden was dealing with his own storyline. The Manchester City star had not played for England since March, and his return produced a mix of bright moments and quiet frustration. He delivered an assist for Eberechi Eze in the win over Serbia and injected flair against Albania. But he also began both matches from the bench which is an unfamiliar role for one of the Premier League’s standout performers. 

  The surprise was amplified by Tuchel’s promise that both Foden and Bellingham were being brought back to play central roles. Yet even with that assurance, Foden didn’t start. The manager has openly expressed reluctance to field Foden, Bellingham and Harry Kane together, believing all three operate best in central pockets of the pitch. Against Albania, he relented, but for only 22 minutes. The question now is how long Foden will accept being a rotation option when the World Cup begins. 

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  Foden's patience could be tested in 2026

  Former England forward Emile Heskey has delivered one of the bluntest assessments yet of England’s creative logjam. Asked which attacking midfielder is most vulnerable, he didn’t hesitate.

  Speaking exclusively to , Heskey admitted: "It’d probably be Foden. In my eyes, I think it’ll probably be between Foden and Cole Palmer. Cole Palmer hasn’t played much, so he needs to start playing to get that fitness up, especially for a manager who’s all about aggressive running and intensity, so it’ll be out of them.

  "I think Jude will go [to the World Cup], if I’m honest with you. I don’t know too much about the camaraderie and the governance within the camp that everyone keeps talking about, but if you’re just going off play, I would say Jude has to go because he comes up with vital goals at pivotal times as well."

  But the former striker also highlighted another rising contender in Morgan Rogers, as Heskey could barely contain his admiration for the Bournemouth attacker.

  "But then, I think Morgan Rogers is brilliant," he said. "I love the way that he plays. I love the enthusiasm that he plays with. I love the positions that he gets into. He makes intelligent runs off the ball because he creates space for others as well with his runs. I definitely think he’s pushing as a starter, not just a squad player. I think he’s brilliant in that sense. I just think he gives you so much on and off the ball with intelligent runs, and he’s having a good season for me."

• Can England cope if a big name misses out?

  Heskey believes England could afford to leave one, or even two, high-profile No.10s at home and still challenge for the trophy.

  "Yeah, definitely. They’ve got a togetherness anyway as a squad," he said. "They’ve got some fantastic players. They’re the cream of the crop for me. I can’t see them all not being there, but I could see probably one of them not being there, or one or two of them not being there."

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  The battle ahead for the Three Lions

  England’s fight for creativity is a full-scale power struggle between some of Europe’s most gifted footballers. Tuchel has insisted the World Cup squad will be built on "standards, commitment, and respect."

Los Angeles Dodgers longtime ace Clayton Kershaw made history on Wednesday night in a six-inning outing against the Chicago White Sox, becoming just the 20th pitcher to record 3,000 career strikeouts. Kershaw's family, including his wife Ellen and four children, were on hand at Dodger Stadium to witness the incredible feat—and their reactions didn't disappoint.

Facing White Sox third baseman Vinny Capra in the top of the sixth inning, Kershaw, on a 1-2 count, delivered a slider for a strikeout looking—and the historic achievement. Up in the stands, his wife Ellen raised one arm in the air and burst into tears as his children jumped up and down in excitement.

Then, in what was likely his favorite part of the night, Kershaw shared a sweet moment with his family in the clubhouse after the Dodgers' walk-off win capped off the memorable night.

Kershaw is just the fourth left-hander to accumulate 3,000 career strikeouts, and one of just three active pitchers, including Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer, to achieve the feat.

Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher has delivered a fresh take on Arsenal and their chances of winning the Premier League this season.

The Gunners, since tasting defeat away to Liverpool in August, have won 13 games on the trot in all competitions whilst boasting the best defensive record in Europe’s top five leagues.

Mikel Arteta’s imperious side also haven’t conceded a single goal in all competitions since their dramatic 2-1 win over Newcastle at St. James’ Park in September, which is quite incredible considering they were without star defender William Saliba for brief periods as well.

Summer signing Cristhian Mosquera has performed exceptionally when called upon by Arsenal to replace Saliba at the heart of Arteta’s defence, and their exceptional resilience as a unit could well hand them a first Premier League title in 22 years.

Arsenal were already a very hard side to break down prior to this campaign, leaking the fewest goals of any top flight club in both the 23/24 and 24/25 seasons, but the arrival of assistant coach Gabriel Heinze appears to have solidified them even more.

Their rock solid backline has allowed Arsenal to plough through and get results despite their plethora of attacking absentees, with Kai Havertz, Noni Madueke, Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli, Martin Odegaard and now Viktor Gyokeres all sidelined through injury.

This, combined with their overwhelming threat from set pieces, has made Arsenal the team to beat as we head into the festive period.

Carragher names the player who could hold Arsenal back from Premier League title glory

Speaking on Sky Sports, Carragher has claimed that only one man could stop Arsenal from winning the title at this point.

The pundit claims that Man City superstar Erling Haaland, who has spearheaded the Sky Blues to second almost single-handedly with 13 goals in just 10 Premier League appearances, will have a major say on whether Arsenal can end their two-decade-long wait for a domestic crown.

Given Haaland is basically a cheat code at this point, it’s hard to argue with Carragher’s assessment here.

It is still a real wonder how the Norway superstar didn’t clinch 2023’s Ballon d’Or award after firing City to a treble with 52 goals in 53 appearances for Pep Guardiola’s side, with Lionel Messi getting it instead following his 2022 World Cup win.

The 25-year-old is nailed on for a Ballon d’Or eventually and perhaps even Alan Shearer’s all-time Premier League goalscoring record if he stays in England much longer.

Make no mistake, it would take something truly extraordinary to topple Arsenal right now, and Haaland is just that.

Legendary former Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos is extremely happy to see talented youngster Arda Guler getting a lot of playing under Xabi Alonso this season. While the ex-German international doesn't necessarily see Guler as his natural successor in midfield, he has absolutely no qualms about the fact that the Turkish international possesses all the tools to mark an era at the Bernabeu.

• Guler earns his place as Madrid begin the season on a high

  Since Xabi Alonso's appointment as the new head coach of Real Madrid at the end of May, things have been looking bright for Guler. After spending much of the 2024-25 season out of the starting lineup under former boss Carlo Ancelotti, Guler was handed the keys to the midfield at the Club World Cup – Alonso's first assignment after taking over Madrid's reins. The flamboyant left-footed midfielder was thoroughly impressive in the tournament in a new role which saw him played a bit deeper in central midfield as opposed to the right wing. 

  Since the start of the 2025-26 season, Guler's star has only improved. He has earned an increasingly prominent role in the midfield and has become a shoo-in in Alonso's setup, despite the presence of more established figures such as Jude Bellingham, Federico Valverde, Aurelien Tchouameni and Eduardo Camavinga. He won La Liga's Under-23 Player of the Month award in September, and has played in each of the 16 games Madrid have played this season, 14 of those as a starter.

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  Kroos confident Guler will 'make his mark' at Madrid

  Madrid are lacking experienced figures in the midfield, with Kroos retiring from the sport in 2024 and Luka Modric leaving as a free agent to join AC Milan earlier this year. However, the 35-year-old is glad to see Guler, his former team-mate, get more minutes under his belt this season.

  "I'm happy that he's getting significantly more playing time this year for the first time, because he deserves it based on his footballing ability and he's a lad we can count on in the future," the ex-German international told . 

  However, Kroos believes that comparing Guler to him is not the right thing to do, with the former insisting that the latter is much more effective a bit higher up the field.

  "But I don't believe in comparisons," he added. "Arda is also a different type of player than me. His best position is much more attacking than mine, so it's not about me succeeding him at all. But I'm generally pleased because he's a good lad. I've played alongside him. He has a really delicate touch, which he's already used very effectively for Real this season. That's why I hope he continues to get consistent playing time, because that's the only way to improve. Then I'm sure he can make his mark at Real for many years to come."

• Alonso will continue to bank on Guler's talents

  Speaking to reporters after the 1-0 win over Juventus in the Champions League last month, Los Blancos manager Alonso had words of praise for Guler, signalling that he remains fully determined to develop the 20-year-old despite obvious room for improvement. 

  “Arda is in the process of improving everything," he said. "He’s 20 years old and has already played a few games for Madrid. With his age and quality, we have to support him. He needs to improve his decision-making and pressing, but he has a lot of good qualities. He gives great meaning to the game. When he’s involved, we have a better team dynamic. Where? It depends on what’s around him or what the game demands. I’m very happy with his progress, but we want more. He really enjoys playing football. He wants to find the pass, take the free kick… Wirtz was like that at Leverkusen. He’s young, but he’s a great player. He’s in the process, but at a high level.”

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  Guler-Mbappe symbiosis would be key to Madrid's success

  Guler has shown immense promise ever since he was moved to a deeper position on the field. His on-field partnership with Kylian Mbappe has drawn parallels to the chemistry Mesut Ozil and Cristiano Ronaldo shared during their time at the club. “I like the comparisons between Cristiano Ronaldo and Mesut Ozil and Kylian Mbappe and Arda Guler," he said recently. "They’ve achieved great things, but significant success is always achieved by a team, never just two players."

  Mbappe has been in breathtaking form this season, scoring 18 goals in all competitions. He has scored 12 non-penalty goals, of which six have been assisted by Guler. On days when they have linked beautifully, Madrid have been a treat to watch. It's fair to say that the duo will be extremely crucial to Madrid's chances of lifting major silverware at the end of the season.

The Madhya Pradesh offspinning allrounder has impressed in domestic cricket over the last couple of years. Another good season could catapult him onto the biggest stage of them all

Rajan Raj10-Oct-2024After a superb Ranji Trophy debut in 2014, Saransh Jain, an offspinning allrounder, had flown to Australia with a club team from Madhya Pradesh to play a five-match series. Despite it being his first overseas tour, calls back home were short, with his family claiming to be “a little occupied”. This bothered Jain but not too much, because of his focus was on the series at hand, one his team would go on to win 3-0.After he returned home from that tour, though, Jain was shocked with what he saw. His father was lying on his bed, having undergone a surgery on his face. There was despair on everyone else’s face. Jain sought answers but did not get a satisfactory one, till his father asked for a paper and a pen. “I am fine now, son,” he wrote. “If you just play better, I will get well sooner.” He had been diagnosed with cancer.

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Jain still has that note from his father, the former Madhya Pradesh Ranji player Subodh Jain. And it is essentially the secret of Jain’s success. That piece of paper pushed him in his journey to become a Ranji Trophy champion with Madhya Pradesh in 2021-22, and win the Lala Amarnath Award for the best allrounder in the Ranji Trophy in 2022-23. That season he scored 360 runs and picked up 35 wickets for MP. This earned him a call-up to the India A side to play England Lions, where he scored half-centuries in both innings of the only match he played.Related

• Aryan Juyal ready for new challenge as Uttar Pradesh captain

• How Shashank Singh stopped being hard on himself

• Bihar finalise squad after late court intervention

• Ranji Trophy: Kishan to captain Jharkhand in first two games

• All you need to know about the two-phased season

Making the most of any given opportunity is Jain’s USP. In MP’s title-winning Ranji Trophy campaign in 2021-22, he played only three matches: the quarter-final, semi-final and the final. He returned 13 wickets and also scored a half-century.Last season, he scored 432 runs and picked up 27 wickets and he wants to maintain this momentum in the upcoming season. He has started well in that quest by picking up six wickets in the Irani Cup match against Mumbai. He was also part of the Duleep Trophy and he returned 14 wickets combined from the two red-ball competitions.Knowing fully the demands of a sport that is evolving rapidly, Saransh Jain has worked a lot on his batting too•MPCA”I performed well last season, but it is important that I perform well again and try to do something good whenever I get a chance,” Jain says. “The only lesson I have learned in my career is to try to learn something new every day. Only then can something good happen in the future. I feel good with the way I have performed recently but I am not completely satisfied. I will get that satisfaction only after wearing the [India] blue jersey, for which I have to consistently work hard.”With the game always evolving, Jain, the offspinner, is aware of the importance of contributing with the bat. His recent scores show that.”According to me, a good player should try to adapt to the circumstances,” Jain says. “I am an offspinner, and my primary task to take wickets. But in our first meeting itself, [MP head coach] Chandrakant [Pandit] sir told me that I should think like a bowler when I bowl and think like a batter and try to score as many runs as possible when I bat. This is the simple strategy that I follow.”I know how much I have to work on my batting being [primarily] an offspinner. That is important, but my first task is to take wickets. I often watch R Ashwin ; I get inspired by him. I want to pursue my cricket with the same dedication as him.”Pandit – who also won the IPL with Kolkata Knight Riders last season – taking over as MP coach ahead of the 2019-20 season worked wonders for Jain. “Chandrakant sir coming to our team as the coach has been one of the best events in my life,” Jain says. “Perhaps he taught me to believe in myself. His presence in the team inspires me a lot and I want to do something good with him this season. His presence in the team gives me a different kind of confidence.”Consistent performances over the past couple of years have put Jain on the national selectors’ radar. He is one of the best offspinning allrounders in the country and form is currently on his side. This season, can he show the consistency needed to complete his journey to that blue jersey?

India A made a steady start to their innings before rain brought an early end to the second day in Lucknow

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Sep-2025Josh Philippe’s unbeaten 123 off 87 balls and Liam Scott’s 81 continued Australia A’s dominance on day two of the first four-day game against India A in Lucknow.With Sam Konstas also making a century on the first day, Australia A declared their innings on 532 for 6 in just 98 overs, having scored at a run rate of 5.43. In reply, India A lost opener Abhimanyu Easwaran for 44, but N Jagadeesan remained unbeaten on 50 before rain brought an early end to the day.Resuming on 337 for 5, Australia A went into overdrive on the second day. Play started half an hour early at 9am to make up for overs lost to rain on the opening day. Philippe was dropped on 26 by wicketkeeper Jagadeesan off Khaleel Ahmed and cashed in, bringing up his half-century off 55 balls. He added 81 runs for the sixth wicket with Scott, who hit 81 off 122 deliveries before falling to fast bowler Gurnoor Brar.Philippe then had an unbroken 118-run stand off 62 balls with Xavier Bartlett, contributing 78 off 38 to the partnership. He smashed left-arm spinner Harsh Dubey for a six and three fours in the 93rd over and then went after offspinner Tanush Kotian in the 94th, taking him for two fours and a six. He took 77 balls to reach his century, getting there with a quick single to cover”I just looked to be positive. It was a pretty good wicket and Scotty batted beautifully, Philippe said after play. “Then, Xavier came in and we had a nice little partnership at the end. And when we’re told we’re probably declaring soon, it requires attacking against the spinners. I played them naturally. I like to try and take the game on and look to put pressure back on them straight away.”While Philippe hit 18 fours and four sixes in his century, Bartlett smashed five fours and two sixes in his unbeaten 24-ball 39. Australia A thrashed 195 runs in just 25 overs on the second day before declaring their innings.India A openers Easwaran and Jagadeesan responded quickly too, adding 88 runs for the first wicket in 21.1 overs. Easwaran was bowled by Scott but Jagadeesan reached his fifty and had B Sai Sudharsan for company on 20 when stumps were called. Only 55 overs were bowled on the second day, with no play possible after tea.”I think it’s still a pretty good wicket,” Philippe said. “There’s some signs that there’s a bit of spin from us today. Not sure what’s going on with the weather, but hopefully as the game gets on, it continues to deteriorate and our spinners can take charge and get some poles.”

There were no bigger sellers at the MLB trade deadline than the Minnesota Twins. Identifying a seller’s market and with solid assets to offer to contenders, the Twins unloaded the roster in hopes of building the foundation for a better future.

One of their biggest deadline deals was trading away electric closer Jhoan Duran to the Philadelphia Phillies. Duran is a flamethrower, and his aura was all the greater thanks to the electric entrance that the Twins had put together for him when he took the mound.

It wasn’t clear how that entrance would carry over to Philadelphia, but when Duran stepped up for his first career save as a Phillie over the weekend, the lights went down, the phones came out, and the bell of the Undertaker tolled.

It was epic.

How were the Phillies able to recreate the magic of Duran’s entrance? Mostly thanks to the Twins. As Matt Gelb reported in a story for , the Twins had worked with the Phillies, providing digital assets and music, to ensure that his first moment on the mound with his new team was a memorable one.

Dustin Morse, the Twins vice president of communications, had asked Duran what he wanted to do regarding his entrance shortly after news of the trade broke, and the closer said it was simply too good to give up. Morse agreed, and took the idea to the rest of the team’s top officials. Not long after, they were trading emails with their counterparts on the Phillies to make sure they could put together a similar entrance at Citizens Bank Park.

“We collectively thought, ‘This is for the greater good of baseball fans,’” Morse told Gelb. “This is a fun atmosphere. All baseball fans should get to see it and experience it. We all know that the atmosphere at Citizens Bank is already nuts. This would go over well.”

It certainly did. A crowd of 43,241 Phillies fans roared for Duran in his debut, and he secured the save with just four pitches.

Morse texted Duran after the save congratulating him on his success, and noting that the entrance still looked great. “Thank you so much, Dustin,” Duran replied. “Thank you for being a part of that creation.”

Duran’s first few days in Philadelphia have already been memorable. On Sunday, he was able to secure another save for the Phillies, this time on the airwaves of ESPN, and threw a few of the fastest pitches in team history in the process. The entrance still looked stellar.

The Twins certainly didn’t have to do what they did to help the Phillies recreate Duran’s theatrics—the entrance represented hundreds of hours of work Minnesota’s team put into ideation, creation and execution. But as Morse said, it was a move that was made for the greater good of baseball fans, and that truth has already been proven plenty after just a few days in Philadelphia.