The Times Of India Sports
Virat Kohli hails India's new 'lethal' spin king Axar Patel
India unveiled the latest spin hero from its production line when Axar Patel claimed 11 wickets in the lightning fast two-day Test win over England. The 27-year-old started off his cricket life as a fast bowler and only got his place in this crucial series because of an injury to star spinner Ravindra Jadeja.
R Ashwin becomes second fastest to take 400 Test wickets
The last 12 months have been phenomenal for Ravichandran Ashwin as he went about picking 39 wickets in just seven Test matches, 13 of those coming on the tour of New Zealand last year and 26 between the tour of Australia and the series against England taking place now.
England will use hurt as motivation, says Joe Root
England will come back stronger after their crushing Test defeat to India inside two days, captain Joe Root said on Thursday while admitting that the visitors' team selection for the third Test was wrong on a "very challenging" pitch.
Ex-US Oly gymnastics coach kills self after trafficking charges
Former US Olympics women's gymnastics coach John Geddert died by suicide Thursday, his body found hours after he was charged with human trafficking and abuse of athletes in his care, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said.
3rd Test: India beat England by 10 wickets to complete two-day victory
On a pitch that won't be forgotten in a hurry and will certainly be up for debate if it needs to be rated poor, or points need to be docked, the pink ball did things that England would have never prepared themselves for. If one can stretch imaginations a bit, it began to appear like every delivery, after pitching, would wait to see how the batsman was trying to read it before deciding to go the other way.
India vs England: Records broken and achieved in the third Test
India comprehensively defeated England in the 3rd Test in a rare two-day affair to go 2-1 up in the 4-match series. With the emphatic victory, India also got to the top of the WTC standings, taking a step closer to the final spot. From Axar Patel's maiden 10-wicket haul to Joe Root taking a fifer, the match witnessed quite a few records. Here's a look at all the records that were created and shattered in the Test.
Hima Das wins 200m gold in her first race after more than a year
Star Indian sprinter Hima Das ran her first competitive race in more than a year and won a gold in the women's 200m in the Indian Grand Prix II at the Netaji Subhas National Institute of Sports campus on Thursday. The 21-year-old Hima, the 2018 world junior champion in 400m, won the race in 23.31 seconds.
Former players feel Motera pitch not ideal, Gavaskar thinks otherwise
Several former players, including Harbhajan Singh and VVS Laxman said that the turning Motera pitch, on which India defeated England by 10 wickets inside 2 days, was not ideal for Tests, an opinion that was not shared by the legendary Sunil Gavaskar. The batting legend said the overtly defensive mindset of the batsmen was responsible for their dismissals as most of them got out to straighter deliveries.
Pitch was good, quality of batting was not, says Virat Kohli
India captain Virat Kohli on Thursday said poor batting and not the pitch was responsible for the day-night third Test against England winding up inside two days and described the performance of batsmen on both sides as "bizarre". "To be honest, I don't think the quality of batting was up to standards. We were 100 for 3 and bowled out for less than 150," the India skipper said.
Ravichandran Ashwin is a modern day legend, says Virat Kohli
Ravichandran Ashwin on Thursday became only the fourth Indian and sixth spinner in the world to take 400 Test wickets, a feat which was nothing short of a "fairytale" for the seasoned pro who was called a "modern day legend" by skipper Virat Kohli.
Mayhem in Motera: How 30 wickets fell in two days
A Test match that finished inside two days. India registered a comprehensive 10 wicket victory over England in the day-night Test in Ahmedabad on Thursday to take a 2-1 lead in the four-match series. The difficult spin-friendly pitch at the stadium hosting its first international match was the biggest talking point of the match. As many as 30 wickets fell inside two days.
England out of WTC final contention; India move up to top spot
India knocked England out of contention from the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final in June with their 10-wicket triumph in the day-night third Test which propelled the hosts to the top of the standings. India now have to either win or draw the final game here starting March 4 to claim the right to take on New Zealand at the Lord's. The Black Caps have already qualified and are placed second in the latest list.
India's win equals record for the shortest Test match ever
Axar Patel and Ravichandran Ashwin dished out commanding performances and helped India inflict a 10-wicket loss on England inside two days of the third Day/Night Test at the revamped stadium in Motera on Thursday. This is just the second time that India have managed to wrap up a Test in just two days. They registered an innings and 262 run victory vs Afghanistan in 2018 in two days.
Another spin win for India: Hosts beat England by 10 wickets in two days
After being set a paltry target of just 49 runs by England to win the day-night Test, India openers Rohit Sharma (25*) and Shubman Gill (15*) took the hosts home in quick time, chasing down the small target in just 7.4 overs with all 10 wickets intact. With the victory, India took a 2-1 lead in the four-match series as they got closer to a spot in the World Test Championship final against New Zealand.