They have had issues handling high-pressure situations and the improvements they’ve made via the WPL will be put to the test against New Zealand

S Sudarshanan20-Oct-20253:53

‘India’s botched chases feel like déjà vu’

When India fell agonisingly short of a world title twice in three years – the ODI World Cup 2017 and the T20 World Cup in 2020 – the failure to cross the line was attributed to an inability to handle pressure. Specifically, the kind that comes with a trophy on the line.The Women’s Premier League (WPL) came in to help the players do better in that regard. It is three seasons old, and the fourth is just months away, yet India’s old habits of stumbling with victory in sight have continued.Mumbai 2023. Perth 2024. Even Delhi 2025 though they were up against a target of 412. And most gallingly, Indore 2025.This is the list of ODI chases that India, in the Amol Muzumdar-Harmanpreet Kaur regime, were in full control of and then let go. Their latest one, the four-run defeat against England on Sunday, has left them facing a difficult path forward in the Women’s World Cup 2025. There is only one semi-final spot left and four teams are vying for it.Harmanpreet Kaur reacts as things just don’t go to plan•ICC/Getty ImagesIt is no surprise that Australia were India’s opponents in three of these four occasions. Each of them followed a pattern of India losing wickets in a heap and losing from a fairly comfortable position. Take the Perth ODI, for example. India were 184 for 3 after 35 overs in their chase of 299. Smriti Mandhana had just completed her century, Jemimah Rodrigues was off to a fluent start and India needed 115 off 90 balls. Mandhana fell in the next over, a collapse of 7 for 26 ensued, and India were bowled out for 215.Two years ago, at Wankhede Stadium, India squandered an ask of 41 off 38 balls with a target only 259. Once Richa Ghosh was dismissed for 96, India lost 4 for 25 and did not get the final kick, falling short by three runs.In Delhi, India gave an almighty go at a world-record target. Mandhana hit the second-fastest ODI hundred and kept the challenge alive. Deepti Sharma and Sneh Rana’s eighth-wicket partnership raised unlikely hopes. Then India lost 3 for 15 to end on 369. No team should be pulled up for being unable to chase 413 but the significance of that chase is that, just like on Sunday, they were without Rodrigues. They were a batter short, having to paper over other concerns.5:13

‘Fans need to temper expectations with India’

In cases like this – when resources have run dry – experience matters more than training. The BCCI Centre of Excellence (COE, earlier the National Cricket Academy) has world-class facilities, which has helped a lot of players work on particular aspects of the game. India’s domestic system is also vast and robust. All of their players have come up through the ranks showing a great deal of ability. But a domestic game – or upskilling sessions – cannot be compared to a stage as big as a World Cup. Here, nerves can get the better of even the most hardened people.Related

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• 'The emotions took over' – Mandhana takes blame for Sunday heartbreak

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So, clearly there is work to do but some of it is already done. The WPL’s emergence has, to an extent, helped condition players to the spotlight, and increased stakes. It is held at major Indian venues, and matches are often played in front of packed houses and for prime-time television audiences. Crucially, it has even yielded two key players who are part of this World Cup – fast bowler Kranti Gaud and left-arm spinner N Shree Charani.Gaud has been rising steadily over the years in domestic cricket and picked up 4 for 25 in last year’s Senior Women’s T20 Trophy final against Bengal. Charani impressed with her defensive skills during the Senior Women’s T20 Challenger Trophy in 2022. These performances were noticed thanks to the scouts from various WPL teams being present at tournaments that often go largely unnoticed. Both of them got picked for WPL 2025 by UP Warriorz and Delhi Capitals respectively, and now have played all of India’s five World Cup matches. This, from not being in the national radar until six-seven months ago.Kranti Gaud is proof of how the WPL is helping bring more players to the Indian team•ICC via Getty ImagesIn the not-so-distant past, Gaud and Charani might have been toiling away at the lower levels, waiting for their big break like many others. Like Kashvee Gautam, who has been grabbing headlines since 2020 when she picked up all 10 wickets in an innings in an Under-19 one-day game. She finally got to play for India this year after a stint with Gujarat Giants helped boost her profile. Domestic performances have visibility now because of the WPL.Despite all of this, India have been found wanting under pressure, which means other areas need to be explored.Just before the T20 World Cup in the UAE last year, the Indian players had sessions with sports psychologist Mughda Bavare, who had also worked with the team during the 2022 ODI World Cup. At the time Harmanpreet spoke glowingly of the impact these sessions had on her.In an interview with ESPNcricinfo earlier this year, Pratika Rawal, a psychology student, also touched upon the powers of the mind: “Studying psychology helped me understand myself. It taught me why a certain human behaves in a certain way in a certain situation. How you think will show in how you walk. If someone is nervous, other teams can know that and will use it against you. If they can take advantage, why can’t you?”4:09

‘Losses will raise questions about India’s mindset’

Rodrigues also toed a similar line in a chat with : “When you’re playing sport at such a high level, the pressure is immense. Many can’t understand what we go through. And sometimes we ourselves don’t understand why we feel the way we feel. But it’s so nice that we get professional help where we can talk these things out. It’s like you can train your mind also. If you can retrain your mind to think in the right direction, maybe that will change your performance, the way you are, [bring about] the outcomes you desire also.”Skills wise, India have been challenging the likes of Australia and England like no other team ever has. But when it comes to the battle of the mind and the nerves, they still have a bit of work to do. That was the case in Indore on Sunday, when they moved away from a trusted combination of six batters and five bowlers. They could once again tweak personnel in order to rebalance the XI ahead of next high-profile clash against New Zealand.The only positive for them is that they will play all the remaining games at the World Cup, including the knockouts if they qualify, at the DY Patil Stadium, a venue they are very familiar with. If they do that, Navi Mumbai 2025 may not need to be added to the list.

Rajat Patidar has recovered from a left-knee niggle and been cleared to play by the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence. He will rejoin the Madhya Pradesh squad in Kolkata on Friday and be available from the third round of matches of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy from Sunday (November 30).Patidar, who is the MP captain, hasn’t played competitive cricket for four weeks. Following his appearance for India A in the first unofficial Test against South Africa A (on October 30), he missed the last two weeks of the Ranji Trophy due to persistent knee pain, which he first experienced during the MP’s first round Ranji fixture against Punjab on October 15.ESPNcricinfo understands Patidar completed a 10-day rehabilitation programme, and was given the RTP certificate (return to play) by the CoE’s medical team. He has resumed batting.Related

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Patidar was in excellent form prior to picking up the niggle. He started the Ranji season with a double century against Punjab, also scoring two centuries and two half-centuries during the course of a title-winning run as Central Zone captain in the season-opening Duleep Trophy.SMAT 2025-26 will be his first white-ball games since the conclusion of IPL 2025, where he led Royal Challengers Bengaluru to their maiden title. Since then, Patidar has been elevated to all-format captaincy for his state side, replacing Shubham Sharma.MP were runners-up in the previous SMAT season, with Patidar contributing significantly to their campaign. He was the second highest run-getter, hitting 428 runs in nine innings at a strike rate of 186.08. Patidar’s 27 sixes were the most that season.

While the draw on Sunday was less than ideal, this season is shaping up to be a special one for Arsenal.

Mikel Arteta’s side have looked imperious in the Champions League, winning all five games, and are far and away the best team in the Premier League.

While the whole squad has played a role in the Gunners’ incredible form, one player who has been one of the most important has undoubtedly been Declan Rice.

In the words of creator Jamie Kent, the Englishman is looking like “the best midfielder in Europe,” and therefore, fans should be excited about reports linking Arsenal to someone who could be their new Rice.

Arsenal target their new Rice

The transfer window is now less than a month away, and, as a result, Arsenal are starting to be linked with a host of tremendously exciting players.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

Real Madrid’s incredible £70m Rodrygo, for example, has once again been touted for a move to the Emirates, as has Bayern Munich’s £100m+ Michael Olise.

However, while both of these wingers would help to raise the Gunners’ ceiling, neither could really be described as being Rice-esque, unlike Eduardo Camavinga.

Yes, according to a recent report from Spain, Arsenal are one of several sides interested in signing the Real Madrid monster.

Alongside the Gunners, the report has revealed that Chelsea and Liverpool are keen on the French international, who is valued at €80m by the Spanish giants, which is about £70m.

It could therefore be a costly and rather complicated transfer to get over the line, but given Camavinga’s immense ability, Arsenal should be pursuing him, especially as he could be another Rice.

Why Camavinga would be another Rice for Arsenal

So, the first and most obvious similarity between Rice and Camavinga is the fact that they are midfielders who can and have played as a six and an eight in recent years.

Moreover, the pair of them are currently plying their trade at two huge clubs, and while Real Madrid is less important to his team than the Englishman, he’s still racked up 194 appearances for them in which he’s provided 16 goal involvements.

The last clear comparison between them at this point is that they’re both regulars for a top international team as well.

For example, the former Stade Rennes star has now won 28 senior caps for France and featured in the last Euros and World Cup.

Now, it’s all of these reasons that the 23-year-old could become another Rice-type player for the Gunners, in addition to the fact that, when playing, he is a sensational talent and someone who could massively improve the team’s midfield options in a way the former West Ham United captain did when he arrived in 2023.

Don’t just take our word for it, though; Madrid manager Xabi Alonso has described the versatile international as someone with “enormous potential”, and his underlying numbers back that opinion up.

According to FBref, the Cabinda-born “war machine,” as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, ranks in the top 1% of midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues for tackles and tackles won, the top 4% for blocks, the top 8% for progressive carrying distance and more, all per 90.

Tackles

4.19

Top 1%

Tackles Won

2.72

Top 1%

Tkl+Int

5.44

Top 1%

Blocks

1.87

Top 4%

Goals/Shot on Target

0.67

Top 5%

Passes Blocked

1.42

Top 6%

Pass Completion %

90.8%

Top 6%

Progressive Carrying Distance

122.51

Top 8%

Passes into Final Third

6.40

Top 12%

Successful Take-Ons

1.13

Top 12%

Add to that the fact he has helped Los Blancos win two La Liga titles, two Champions League titles and a smattering of other cups, and it’s hard to disagree with the notion he’s one of the best midfielders in Europe.

Ultimately, Camavinga already shares plenty of similarities with Rice, and were Arsenal to sign him, he could have a similar transformational impact on the midfield.

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He had suffered a neck injury while batting during the Kolkata Test last month

Alagappan Muthu06-Dec-2025

Shubman Gill suffered a neck injury during the Kolkata Test•Getty Images

Shubman Gill will be back playing for India at the start of the T20Is against South Africa on Tuesday with head coach Gautam Gambhir confirming that he is “fit and fine, hungry to go.”Gill suffered a neck injury last month – understood to involve a pinched nerve – while batting during the Kolkata Test match. He had moved to the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru to recover – the initial timeline that the BCCI had drawn up for him involved five weeks of rest before resuming training.After completing a 2-1 victory over South Africa in the ODIs on Saturday, Gambhir addressed the press saying, “yes, Shubman is ready to start. That’s why he has been selected. And obviously he is fit and fine, hungry to go.”In the absence of Gill, Rishabh Pant had stepped in as captain in the second Test in Guwahati, where India suffered their biggest Test defeat, in terms of runs. In the following ODI series, Yashasvi Jaiswal opened the batting, in place of Gill, along with Rohit Sharma and helped India win the decider in Vizag with his maiden ODI hundred. Gill is now set to return to the top in T20Is and reunite with his good friend Abhishek Sharma.India have been bolstered further by the return of allrounder Hardik Pandya after an injury had layoff kept him out of action for over two months.The five T20Is against South Africa will be played on December 9, 11, 14, 17 and 19 in Cuttack, New Chandigarh, Dharamsala, Lucknow and Ahmedabad respectively. Suryakumar Yadav will lead the side while Gill will be his deputy.India’s T20I squad for South Africa seriesSuryakumar Yadav (capt), Shubman Gill (vice-capt), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Washington Sundar

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot conceded Ibrahima Konate has been “a bit too much at the crime scene” this season as the defender’s struggles continued in Saturday’s dramatic 3-3 draw with Leeds United. The Reds twice threw away the lead as they dropped more Premier League points at Elland Road, with the France international at fault on two occasions.

Liverpool were in fine fettle after Ekitike netted quickfire double

Aiming to get back to winning ways after Wednesday’s 1-1 draw with in-form Sunderland, Liverpool took a two-goal lead early in the second half against Leeds when striker Hugo Ekitike netted a quickfire double. 

Having not scored in the league since bagging in September’s 2-1 victory over Everton in the Merseyside derby, the former Eintracht Frankfurt and Paris Saint-Germain forward – starting ahead of the benched Alexander Isak – scored two goals in as many minutes.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportKonate struggles as Reds twice throw away lead against Leeds

However, while Liverpool looked to be in complete control of proceedings, Konate handed Leeds a route back into the match from the penalty spot after he brought down winger Wilfried Gnonto inside the area. 

Former Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin converted the resulting spot-kick, before Reds centre-back Konate then backed off Leeds midfielder Anton Stach as the German let fly, beating goalkeeper Alisson with a powerful drive from inside the box.

With Elland Road rocking, Liverpool showed great character to wrestle the momentum back, with Dominik Szoboszlai scoring what looked to be the all-important winner for his side following a lung-busting run from midfield.

But Konate appeared to be at fault again in the dying embers of the game, ducking from the ball as a deep corner found its way to Leeds midfielder Ao Tanaka, who scored for the second time this week in the sixth minute of injury time.

Slot admits Konate has made a number of mistakes in 2025-26

Speaking in his post-match press conference following a disappointing result, while Liverpool manager Slot defended Konate’s endeavour, he admitted the former RB Leipzig man has often been the key culprit in an incident-packed season for his side.

“Unfortunately for him [Konate] he does a lot of things well but he has been a bit too much at the crime scene,” said Slot. “Today it was a tackle that came from effort, he tried everything to block the cross.”

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AFPReds boss says dressing room in 'disbelief' following Leeds draw

And speaking to following the final whistle, the Dutchman added: “There's a sense of disbelief. I think we played quite well or very well during large parts of the game and we went 2-0 up. I don't think we had any problems and I don't think we conceded a chance until the moment we made a foul, which is not even a chance.

“It's then 2-1 and not many moments later they made it 2-2 with the first chance they had. Then we go up [again] and you think you've done enough to win the game, but then a set piece leads to the 3-3.

“It's not about me. It's about us, it's about the fans. The players have worked so hard and to concede from a set-piece again – the 10th or 11th this season. If you concede so many like this, you cannot be higher up the table than we are.

“To go away with a 3-3, I don't think that's what we deserved. We conceded without the other team even having a chance. It's so difficult to play a game of football if you don't even concede a chance and it goes in.

“We can only look at ourselves because we are the ones that are doing it. That's the situation we are in.”

West Bromwich Albion are back in action in the Championship this evening as they prepare to travel to St. Mary’s to take on an in-form Southampton side.

The Saints, now led by Tonda Eckert, have won five of their last six matches in the division, beating Birmingham City 3-1 in their most recent outing.

Ryan Mason will have to make some tweaks to his side after they were beaten 3-1 by QPR at Loftus Road on Saturday, and Josh Maja is one star who could lose his place in the XI.

Why Ryan Mason should drop Josh Maja for West Brom

The Nigeria international was given a starting berth for the trip to West London after he came off the bench to provide an assist in the 3-2 comeback win over Swansea in the previous game.

Unfortunately, though, the former Sunderland centre-forward was unable to build on that assist with another strong performance, as he struggled against QPR.

Maja joined Aune Heggebo to form a front two for the Baggies in London, but was unable to provide much of a threat at the top end of the pitch in a drab loss.

Minutes

64

Shots

1

Touches

20

Possession lost

8x

Key passes

0

Duels won

2/5

As you can see in the table above, the 26-year-old attacker offered very little in the final third and was wasteful with his use of the ball, only retaining possession 12 times from his 20 touches.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

With this in mind, Mason should ruthlessly ditch the striker from the starting line-up to bring Isaac Price back into the starting line-up as a number ten against Southampton.

Why West Brom should unleash Isaac Price against Southampton

The Northern Ireland international should be brought back into the side for multiple reasons, and not only for the attacking quality that he can provide.

As a natural attacking midfielder, Price replacing Maja could make West Brom more difficult to play through than they were in a 4-4-2 shape against QPR, as the youngster can drop into a midfield three, making it a 4-5-1 out of possession, which Maja would not be comfortable doing.

This is why bringing the former Standard Liege talent into the team could make a lot of sense for tactical reasons, ahead of a clash with an in-form Southampton team that will be expected to be on the front foot.

Of course, Price should also come into the starting XI because he has the potential to offer more quality to the side at the top end of the pitch than Maja does.

The 22-year-old star, who was described as a “breath of fresh air” by Chris Brunt, has been more effective than the Nigerian centre-forward with his play in and out of possession in the Championship so far this season.

Appearances

17

19

xG

1.88

4.65

Goals

1

5

Key passes per game

0.4

1.4

Big chances created

0

3

Assists

1

2

Duel success rate

36%

49%

As you can see in the table above, Price has scored four more goals, outperforming his xG, and created chances for the team on a far more regular basis than Maja.

These statistics suggest that the Northern Irish talent is far more likely to be a difference-maker in the final third against Southampton this evening, which is why he should be given the nod from the start in the hope that he can make an impact at St. Mary’s.

Their respective success rate in duels also further backs up the belief that Price would be the better option out of the two for West Brom’s plan out of possession, as he is better in his physical battles against opposition players.

Given that Southampton have won five of their last six games, the Baggies will need to roll up their sleeves and put in a lot of fight to come away from Hampshire with some points, and Price seems more likely to be effective in that situation.

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Therefore, Mason must ruthlessly drop Maja from the starting line-up, after one match, to bring Price back into the side in an attempt to secure a positive result against Southampton this evening.

Manchester City moved to within two points of Arsenal at the top of the Premier League, until they play on Wednesday night, with a thrilling 5-4 win over Fulham.

Supporters of their title rivals may have turned off the game when Phil Foden made it 3-0 before half-time, expecting a simple victory for Pep Guardiola’s side, but the Cityzens made hard work of their three points in the end.

Some questionable game management and defensive work from City almost led to them drawing the match, and there are several players who may not be too pleased with their own contributions to the result.

Ranking Man City's worst performers against Fulham

Whilst the likes of Erling Haaland, Tiijani Rijnders, and Phil Foden shone at Craven Cottage, some of Guardiola’s players failed to deliver quality displays on Tuesday night.

Gianluigi Donnarumma was one of those players. The Italy number one conceded four goals from five shots on target against him, letting in 1.95 more goals than expected, per Sofascore.

Full-back Matheus Nunes also failed to put in a convincing performance. The Portuguese defender was dribbled past twice, per Sofascore, and found defending the likes of Alex Iwobi, Samuel Chukwueze, and Kevin a bit too difficult at times.

Ranking Man City’s worst performers vs Fulham
Rank	Player
1	Bernardo Silva
2	Matheus Nunes
3	Gianluigi Donnarumma
4	Nico O’Reilly
5	Savinho

The same was true of Nico O’Reilly, who lost ten of his 15 duels and was dribbled past once, on the other flank, whilst at the other end of the pitch, Savinho struggled off the bench, wasting several chances to counter and put the game to bed late on.

It was Bernardo Silva, though, who was arguably the worst performer on the night for the Cityzens, which is why Guardiola should ruthlessly drop him from the side.

Why Pep Guardiola should drop Bernardo Silva

The Portuguese central midfielder should be put on the bench for the clash with Sunderland at The Etihad on Saturday after an underwhelming display against Fulham.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Commentating for Sky Sports, former Premier League striker Chris Sutton described Bernardo’s flicked clearance that fell for Samuel Chukwueze to score his first goal of the game as “careless”.

A few minutes after that comment, Sutton added that he could not understand why the Portugal international was still on the pitch because he “doesn’t have the legs” that he once did, and that Fulham had “run around” him.

Those comments from the Premier League title winner are backed up by the fact that Bernardo failed to complete three of his four attempted tackles on the night, per Sofascore, which shows that he was a yard off the pace when attempting to challenge Fulham players.

Bernardo also struggled to get up the pitch to influence matters in the final third, with no key passes or ‘big chances’ created from 69 touches of the ball, albeit that was not as important on a night where City scored five goals by the 54th minute.

Vs Fulham	Nunes	Bernardo
Minutes	90	90
Tackles won	3/5	1/4
Duels won	9/13	7/11
Ball recoveries	3	2
Pass accuracy	83%	86%
Key passes	1	0
Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, the experienced midfielder was even worse than Nunes, who won more tackles, more duels, and made more ball recoveries, whilst also making more key passes.

Bernardo did well in moments towards the end of the match with his ability to retain possession and calm the play down, but it was partially down to his struggles out of possession and defensively that City were in a position where they had to manage the game in the final minutes.

The left-footed star is, of course, still an important player for Guardiola, having started nine league games this season, but the clash with the Black Cats is one that he should be dropped for after this disappointing showing.

Guardiola could provide Rico Lewis with a chance to play in the middle of the park or play Lewis at right-back and bring Nunes back into his natural role in midfield to see if he can improve on his own underwhelming performance.

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A game on the bench for Bernardo could, also, keep him fresh ahead of the big match against Real Madrid in the Champions League next week, which is another reason why this could be a good move by the Spanish head coach at the weekend.

Nottingham Forest are now targeting an “incredible” Europa League midfielder, amid Elliot Anderson continuing to attract attention from some top clubs.

Anderson's City Ground future up in the air

Forest could have their work cut out trying to keep hold of Anderson, given that the midfielder is of major interest to the Premier League’s biggest clubs, with it recently being revealed that Manchester United have identified him as their number one target.

Manchester City are currently the favourites to win the race for the former Newcastle United man, however, with the Blues ready to hijack their rivals, given that Pep Guardiola is a huge admirer, and there is a feeling that a deal could be possible for a fee of £88m.

Alex Crook has also revealed that United would probably have to fork out a club-record fee to sign the England international, with the Tricky Trees in a strong negotiating position, given that he remains under contract until 2029.

With Anderson’s future at the City Ground up in the air, Nottingham Forest have now started to run the rule over potential new additions in midfield, according to a report from TEAMtalk, which states they are now targeting Lyon star Tyler Morton.

Morton has put in some eye-catching performances since moving to the Ligue 1 club for £15m in the summer, and he could now be in line for a swift return to the Premier League, with the likes of Crystal Palace and Brighton & Hove Albion also keen.

Lyon are reluctant to sell the midfielder, but cashing-in for a higher price than they paid might be too good an opportunity to turn down, considering their financial difficulties, so the door could be open for a move to Forest.

"Incredible" Morton now ready to prove himself in England

The 23-year-old never really managed to make the grade at Liverpool, being shipped out on loan to Hull City and Blackburn Rovers, and never making a Premier League appearance, but he has proven he’s now ready to test himself in England.

The Englishman has emerged as a key player for Lyon in Ligue 1, chipping in with one goal and one assist in 12 outings, while also putting in a solid performance in his most recent Europa League match, with Lyon battering Maccabi Tel Aviv 6-0.

Tyler Morton’s key statistics vs Maccabi Tel Aviv

Number completed

Tackles

4

Interceptions

2

Duels (won)

8 (6)

Accurate passes

60/63 (95%)

Journalist Bence Bocsak is clearly a big admirer of the Wallasey-born midfielder too, saying: “Out of all the young players who left Liverpool this summer I’m absolutely convinced Tyler Morton is the most likely to return. He’s a fantastic footballer. Incredible IQ.”

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While Arne Slot’s side making a move would be understandable, with any luck Nottingham Forest will be able to win the race for Morton’s signature, as he could be a fantastic addition to Sean Dyche’s squad.

Both are versatile batters and they missed out on big scores in Ahmedabad, but they were never going to miss out two Tests in a row

Karthik Krishnaswamy11-Oct-20251:39

‘Jaiswal has to blame himself for the run-out’

A little under an hour of the Delhi Test had elapsed when Yashasvi Jaiswal decided he had had enough of letting Anderson Phillip bowl on his terms. Phillip, at that point, had bowled 5.3 overs and conceded just ten runs.Jaiswal had mostly been away from the strike when Phillip had bowled. He had faced only four balls from him, and shouldered arms to all of them. He had batted watchfully against the other two West Indies seamers as well, and was on 10 off 36 balls. He had left alone 12 of those balls.Now, he decided he was done with all that. Phillip bowled this one full, angled a fair way away from off stump, and may have perhaps expected another leave. Instead, out of seemingly nowhere, came a straight wallop of fearsome wind-up and flat, lethal trajectory. This was no drive with head over the ball; this was an elemental hit with head thrown back. Phillip, following through, was fortunate head was a foot or so wide of the ball’s path.Related

Stats – Gill level with Kohli, Jaiswal only behind Bradman

Jadeja, Kuldeep strike after Gill ton propels India to 518

Everything about that shot, and the passage of play leading up to it, was pure Jaiswal. He can leave every third ball he faces. He can make a stadium sit up with a shot of pure violence. He can bat in all sorts of moods and tempos, often in the same innings, to the point where it becomes impossible to define the kind of batter he is in Test cricket.In one sense, though, it’s very, very easy to define him. Jaiswal is a run-scorer. Send him out with bat in hand, anywhere in the world, against any kind of attack, and you can be pretty sure he’ll find a way to score runs.One of many, many ways. Jaiswal has now gone past 70 on 14 occasions in Test cricket, and those innings have come at strike rates ranging from 40.38 – when he made 84 off 208 balls while attempting to save the MCG Test last year – to 141.17 – when he smashed 72 off 51 balls during India’s push to make victory possible in a heavily rain-affected Test against Bangladesh in Kanpur.Those 14 innings have ticked all but two of the ten strike-rate “decades” from the 40s to the 140s. Only the 120s and 130s are still waiting to be achieved.Over the course of three sessions on Friday and a small fraction of one on Saturday, Jaiswal scored 175 at 67.82, and that strike rate, so close to his career strike rate of 66.33, was an indication of just how comfortable he was on a flat Delhi pitch against a modest West Indies attack, scoring briskly while never looking in a hurry or getting too greedy, batting through a whole day’s play without ever looking weary or seeming to suffer dips in focus.We’ve become so used to this that we almost take it for granted, and forget that he’s not yet 24.2:57

Chopra: Gill destined for greatness

The dismissal, in the second over of day two, came first as a shock. Did he really get out, when 200 – even 300, who knows – seemed within reach? But then it began to make sense. If it had to happen, it had to be a run-out. It had to be that particular kind of run-out. It’s one of Jaiswal’s minor vulnerabilities that he often starts running as soon as his bat meets the ball; if he misjudges how firmly he’s struck the ball or how far it is from a fielder, he’s liable to realise this only when he’s already halfway down the pitch.Jaiswal, in short, was looking like only he could get himself out. Through most of day one, the other mode of dismissal that had seemed vaguely likely was a top edge off an over-eager square cut. He had been out like this in Ahmedabad last week, but he seldom misses a chance to attempt the shot, even when he doesn’t have a lot of room to work with.And it gets him a lot of runs, and quick runs. Against pace, he’s scored 399 runs off 243 balls through his Test career with variants of the cut – cut, late cut, upper cut, ramp, dab, steer, as classified in ESPNcricinfo’s ball-by-ball data – while being dismissed five times. That’s an average of 79.80 and a strike rate of 164.19; so what if he’s achieved all that with a control percentage of just over 71?Those numbers are a small window into Jaiswal’s mind. It’s the mind of a batter who understands percentages, who knows that cutting so frequently can lead to plays-and-misses or edges, but understands that he’ll still be batting next ball if he’s played and missed, and that while top edges might occasionally get him out, the odds suggest they are likelier to send the ball flying over or past the slips cordon if he flashes hard enough.If these are indeed the workings of Jaiswal’s mind, it’s a mind fixated not on batting as a pursuit of technical perfection but on batting as a means of scoring runs.”On Jaiswal, I’ll say he’s very clever in terms of his batting,” Ravindra Jadeja said in his press conference at the end of day two. “He knows which bowler to attack and which bowler to play out. His maturity level is very good. It’s not like he looks to hit every bowler. He has a very good idea of which situation to attack in, and at which time to attack.ESPNcricinfo Ltd”I think it’s very good when a batsman knows what shot he needs to play at what time. I think this has contributed a lot to his success, and the fact that he’s made so many big scores, match after match.”Jaiswal has turned five of his seven Test centuries so far into 150-plus scores, and two of them into doubles. The highly memeable helmet-palm with which he greeted his dismissal in Delhi suggested that 175 was a long way short of the number he had set out to put next to his name when Saturday dawned.It fell to his partner, Shubman Gill, to take on the mantle of insatiable run-hooverer.Gill has always had the smarts to know where his run-scoring opportunities lie in any situation. He was just 20, and only in his third Test, when the then India batting coach Vikram Rathour asked him what his plans were if Australia went short to him after lunch on that magical final day at the Gabba.Here’s Rathour’s recollection of that conversation, from this profile of Gill by Nagraj Gollapudi:”And the kid had a great answer. He said that the end [Mitchell] Starc was bowling, it was a shorter boundary on the leg side. So he said, ‘I’m not going to pull from the other end if they bowl short, but I will pull from the end Starc is bowling if they bowl short, because I’m pretty sure that I can clear this boundary most times. If it’s below my shoulder, I’ll look to play it down, but if it’s up, I’ll look to play it over, and if it’s on this [on] side, I will leave. And if it’s on this [off] side, I will maybe play an uppercut.’ […] I told him, ‘Boss, you have it sorted. So do just that, whatever you want to do.’ He had a lot of clarity [about] what he was looking to do. And with logic – he was not just talking nonsense, he was not bluffing his way.”Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal: The mainstays of India’s batting line-up•AFP/Getty ImagesAll that ability and all those smarts, but it took a while for Gill to translate them into consistent run-scoring in Test cricket, which only really began to happen during last year’s five-match home series against England. And it was only this year, in England, that Gill got his first chance to play a full Test series, home or away, on pitches that gave him a chance to think of batting big time and again.In retrospect, it should have surprised no one that he finished that tour with the second-highest bilateral series aggregate by any India batter anywhere, anytime. It’s exactly the kind of thing everyone’s expected from him ever since he was a teenager.For all that, though, he still gives the impression sometimes that he can get bored if the contest isn’t really challenging him. Last week in Ahmedabad, he had been out immediately after reaching his fifty, attempting a reverse-sweep, an echo of his dismissal soon after reaching his hundred in Visakhapatnam last year against England.He’s showing more and more frequently, however, that he can bat in that insatiable Jaiswal way too. He followed Visakhapatnam with the grittiest half-century of his career, a match-winning fourth-innings effort in Ranchi. He followed Leeds this year, where his first-innings dismissal on 147 was one of numerous dismissals of India batters not quite making the bowlers earn their wicket, with a monumental 269 in Birmingham.And now he followed Ahmedabad with a century of ruthless, getting-the-job-done batsmanship. He played his shots, and played them freely because the situation allowed him to, and asked him to, with India building up to a declaration, but he played Shubman Gill shots. He brought out the slog-sweep when the left-arm spinners left the leg-side boundary unprotected. He brought out the back-foot jab either side of point, a shot he nowadays shelves early on if there’s movement for the fast bowlers, but any movement off this day-two Delhi pitch was minimal. He used his feet with aplomb, against spin and medium-pace, and played that pick-up whip over the leg side that he employs so profitably in the shorter formats.1:51

Chopra: WI needed a little more application

Each time he played a shot like this, it seemed less a reaction to the bowling than an expression of what he felt he needed to do at that moment, against a particular bowler who had set a particular field. But he knew exactly whom to take on and whom not to: he scored at above four an over against six of West Indies’ seven bowlers, but just 12 runs off 64 balls from Jomel Warrican, who constantly challenged India’s batters with his deceptive trajectory and the odd instance of square turn.It was the kind of innings Sachin Tendulkar and Mohammad Azharuddin routinely played in home Tests in the 1990s, or that Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman routinely played in the 2000s, or that Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli routinely played in the period from 2016 to 2019, when India played many of their home Tests on traditional Indian pitches that produced big first-innings totals.India went away from those pitches in the 2021-24 period, with the pressure of World Test Championship points, the fear of draws on flat pitches, and the fear of toss-influenced results like Chennai 2021 pushing them to prepare a succession of square turners in home Tests. After going down 3-0 to New Zealand last year and falling prey to the pitfalls of dustbowls, India are now making an effort, as Gill confirmed before this series, to try and restore the balance between bat and ball in their home pitches.Jaiswal and Gill couldn’t have asked for a better time to be batting in home Tests. They missed out on big scores in Ahmedabad, but they were never going to miss out two Tests in a row.

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