A pitch that has combined the effects of the Pune/Indore-style bunsen and Chennai-style toss magnifier has left India on the verge of another home defeat

Karthik Krishnaswamy24-Feb-20242:06

What is the key to batting on tricky pitches?

India’s rare defeats in home Tests over the last decade have tended to be of two types. In Pune in 2017 and Indore last year, they lost to Australia on square turners that narrowed the gap between India’s spin attack and that of the visitors. In Chennai in 2021, they lost to England on a pitch where the toss had a significant influence on the result: it was flat on the first two days, when England piled up 578, and began to take appreciable turn thereafter.Now, after two days of play in Ranchi, India could be on their way to another home defeat. They are seven down and 134 adrift of England’s first-innings total, and they will be batting fourth. And the pitch that has helped bring them to this position has been a curious one, combining the effects of the Pune/Indore-style bunsen and the Chennai-style toss magnifier.It hasn’t exactly been a square turner, but it has armed spinners with variable bounce – particularly low bounce. And while the Ranchi pitch hasn’t been anything like flat at any point, uneven bounce has seemed to have a greater effect on day two than it did on day one, and it’s only likely to get worse. The toss, then, may have been crucial.Related

• Joe Root: 'It means the most when you really have to work for it'

• Spinners put England in sight of huge lead

There’s a caveat, though. For losing the toss, India gained a window of seam movement and awkward bounce for their fast bowlers on the first morning, when there was a bit of moisture in the pitch for the new ball to work with. The debutant Akash Deep took three wickets in his opening spell, helping reduce England to 112 for 5.Since then, though, England have had the best of the conditions, and have batted and bowled brilliantly to take full advantage. Batting became easier through the second and third sessions of day one, when the pitch dried out and the ball lost its hardness and shine, and while low bounce was a threat even on day one, it only seemed to get more pronounced on day two.The conditions have contributed to the vulnerable position India find themselves in, and their bowling coach Paras Mhambrey suggested they were surprised by how this pitch has played, and how quickly uneven bounce has become a factor.”From the couple of games that previously we’ve seen out here, generally the nature of the wicket is, it gets lower and slower as the days progress,” he said. “In the past also, if you see a couple of games that [were] played, it has got slower, on lower side as well. So we expected that, but to be honest we didn’t expect it to be playing that low on the second day itself.”I think a couple of balls did keep low in the first innings as well, but that’s what we didn’t expect. We expected it to get slower as the days progress, but not the variable bounce that we’ve seen in the last couple of days.”The low bounce has had a ripple effect on the game. Apart from the chances it has directly helped create, it has also widened the spinners’ margin for error. All through this series, India have taken advantage of the relative lack of control of England’s young spin attack, but on this Ranchi pitch, the bowlers have had to bowl genuine long-hops to get attacked square of the wicket. Given the threat of the shooter, batters have had to offer a straight bat even to marginally short balls.All in unison: Shoaib Bashir, Jonny Bairstow, Zak Crawley, Joe Root and Ben Foakes go up as Rohit Sharma falls•BCCIAs well as Shoaib Bashir and Tom Hartley bowled, then, this widened margin for error also helped them settle and build a constricting rhythm. They sent down 32 and 19 overs, respectively, virtually in single spells – their only break came when they swapped ends late in the day – and made excellent use of their high release points and pace into the pitch, attributes for which they were selected for this tour ahead of more experienced candidates.In the past, India have made their preference for spinner-friendly pitches clear during certain home series. During the Border-Gavaskar series last year, their coach Rahul Dravid admitted that the pressure of having to win Test matches and accumulate World Test Championship points was leading them to push for turning pitches rather than flat ones.The first three Tests of this India-England series have witnessed a return to a more traditional style of Indian pitch, largely batter-friendly through the first three days or so, with wear and tear bringing spinners into play thereafter.Yashasvi Jaiswal batted pretty firmly during his fifty, but didn’t have enough support from the other end•AFP/Getty ImagesThis Ranchi pitch has been different. In the lead-up to the Test match, India may have had a case to ask for a turning pitch given that they were resting Jasprit Bumrah, their leading fast bowler and most influential player of the series. According to Mhambrey, they made no such request, and had expected that this pitch, going by its history, would play similarly to the one in Rajkot for the third Test.”Firstly, venues are not something we can control,” he said. “This was a venue allotted for the series as well. The way the wicket plays out here has always been similar. It has always not been a rank turner. I wouldn’t call this a rank turner because there was variable bounce. I don’t think too many balls spun sharply from the wicket and there was variable bounce on the lower side. That made batting difficult.”But that’s the nature of the soil and there was no specific instruction of a rank turner from our side. It was a similar wicket to [Rajkot] which turned a little bit. We expected it to be similar but the soil out here is different and you can’t guarantee the exact wicket you want. There honestly weren’t any instructions that we need a turner. I don’t think it is a turner as of now. It’s just the low bounce which is making batting a little difficult. I don’t think there has been any ball which has really spun to call it a turning wicket here.”

Their unexpected union took KKR from 57 for 5 to a score they could defend despite dew setting in

S Sudarshanan04-May-20242:02

Was sending Pandey as impact sub the right call?

Thursday evening, Wankhede Stadium. The harsh afternoon heat was giving way to a pleasant evening when Kolkata Knight Riders’ practice session got fully underway. Manish Pandey was among the first to take guard in the second of the two nets. Seeing him time some of the shots, one wondered why he had not played a match this IPL.Pandey faced all types of bowling plus throwdowns at his disposal. Between the deliveries, he even had a banter with some of the bowlers, and by the end of his nearly 30-minute stint, he walked out of the nets all drenched in sweat.Friday evening, Wankhede Stadium. Left-arm seamer Chetan Sakariya marked his run-up on either end. A one-match suspension for fast bowler Harshit Rana had meant KKR had a slot in the XI for an Indian seamer. Even though Pandey was among five potential Impact Players for a sixth successive game, all indicators pointed towards Sakariya making his KKR debut.Related

Venkatesh, Starc star as KKR break 12-year Wankhede jinx

Impact sub Pandey finally gets his chance, and makes it count

But when Nuwan Thushara’s triple strike had KKR reeling at 57 for 5 in the seventh over, they had to change their plan. So out walked Pandey as Impact Player, replacing an already dismissed Angkrish Raghuvanshi.KKR had never beaten MI at the Wankhede since 2012, so you wouldn’t blame MI for thinking they had things in control, especially on a slightly two-paced surface. Venkatesh Iyer, who hit a century against MI at this venue last year, had started with two fours in his first four balls and was on 13 off 8 when Pandey joined him. But the next four overs produced just one boundary.In the 11th over, Iyer flicked Piyush Chawla through fine leg for four and then smacked Gerald Coetzee for a four and a six to signal a move-on.Manish Pandey and Venkatesh Iyer’s 83-run stand rescued KKR•AFP/Getty ImagesPandey took the cue and capitalised on his favourable match-up against Jasprit Bumrah in the 14th over by taking 12 runs off him. It included a flicked four – replays indicated it went off Pandey’s thigh pad and Bumrah wasn’t happy about it the entire over – through fine leg and a ramped six over deep third to leave their head-to-head reading thus: 80 runs, 42 balls, no dismissals.Pandey fell for 42 off 31 when he miscued one to cover but Iyer carried on. At the death, he pre-empted what the bowlers were attempting and hit crucial boundaries to bring up his second half-century of the season. He deposited Hardik Pandya over wide long-on before hitting a six and a four via reverse shot off Thushara in the 19th over.In a bid to scoop Bumrah on the penultimate ball of the innings, Iyer lost his balance, and middle stump, and was the last batter dismissed for 70 off 52 balls. But despite KKR losing their last five wickets in 29 runs, his 83-run partnership with Pandey, off 62 balls, had steered them to 169.Heading into the game, KKR were the most expensive side in the powerplay this season, and had conceded the second-most sixes at the death. Given Mitchell Starc’s poor form, MI’s long batting line-up, and the dew, a target of 170 did not look challenging.But Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine derailed their chase, with identical figures of 2 for 22 off four overs. Starc, who came into the match with seven wickets from eight games at an economy of 11.78, also picked up 4 for 33, including three in the 19th over to seal KKR’s seventh win in ten outings.”Venky’s been fantastic for us,” Starc said at the post-match press conference. “He has certainly not been out of touch, he has been hitting the ball nicely through the games and certainly at training. Tonight was the night he got the runs to reward that hard work. Not our best start with the bat but the way he went about his innings to absorb some pressure, still keep the scoring rate pretty healthy and build a fantastic innings for us alongside Manish Pandey, that was a really key partnership.”They showed their experience. Obviously, Venky has got good memories here from last year, scoring a hundred. That partnership tonight was what got us to a total we thought we could defend. He used all parts of the ground pretty well, he fought his way through the innings.”

Aston Villa have a lot of work to do before their Premier League season gets underway next month with a home tie against Newcastle United.

Several summer departures will likely take place, with Emiliano Martinez reportedly keen on a move to Manchester United, while Jacob Ramsey is attracting interest from Nottingham Forest. But, with their PSR concerns now a thing of the past, plenty of new signings could also arrive through the door soon.

In particular, some confidence-boosting attacking additions look to be a priority, particularly if Ollie Watkins ends up joining Martinez as another first-team face to have left the building.

Aston Villa considering move for £60m striker

Watkins does look to have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to who he could pick as his next club after Villa, with it being reported that Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, and Manchester United are all keen on adding the England international to their respective sides.

Losing Watkins would be a notable blow, but Villa could begin to repair their depleted attack by adding reported target Alejandro Garnacho to their camp from the aforementioned Red Devils, alongside raiding Enzo Maresca’s men when going after a fresh centre-forward purchase.

An update from journalist Ben Jacobs via X indicates that Villa are in the running to land hot-and-cold Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson this summer, with Villa considering his name as they hunt down some more personnel up top.

It’s revealed that Chelsea won’t be pushing the ex-Villarreal attacker out the door – despite his hit-and-miss finishing ability – but they would consider bids if some are forthcoming, with Jackson reportedly available for around the £60m mark.

Transfer Focus

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

How Jackson could be Villa's next Duran

It would be an almighty gamble on Villa’s end to splash out some significant bucks on such an inconsistent performer but there are similarities, not just in the way they arrived in the country, but in their play styles too.

Indeed, the Villans took a risk when they landed Jhon Duran for £18m back in January of 2023, only to be immediately vindicated when he became a clinical hero for Unai Emery and Co.

After all, Duran didn’t dive into the English game boasting the most mind-blowing numbers for Chicago Fire, with only eight goals coming his way from 28 appearances in the Windy City.

Yet, he instantly became a favourite in the West Midlands for his high-octane performances in attack, culminating in a huge chunk of his 20 goals for Villa coming last season when he bagged 12 strikes from just 29 outings.

Goals

7

3

Assists

0

0

Goal conversion percentage

23%

21%

Goal frequency (minutes)

89

79

Shots per game

1.6

2

Chelsea purchased Jackson for around the £32m mark in the same year the Colombian arrived in England, knowing plenty more could come from the 24-year-old in his new location, with Villa already on the receiving end of Jackson’s lethal bursts when he headed home this effort against them during his debut campaign in West London.

Indeed, Jackson fired home a promising 13 strikes in Spain before embarking on this daunting adventure with the Blues, and whilst there have been plenty of grumbles at Stamford Bridge over his wastefulness, he has shown in spells that he can be a deadly and impactful presence on his day, just as Duran has.

Amazingly, despite squandering a costly 43 big chances across his two top-flight seasons at Chelsea, Jackson does still have more strikes next to his name in the Premier League alone than Duran mustered up across his entire Villa Park stint, with 24 goals in 64 league clashes.

Despite that, there are stylistic similarities between the pair, as the numbers showcase.

Shots

3.08

4.27

Shots on target

1.38

1.93

Completed passes

12.3

16.2

Progressive passes

1.54

1.83

Shot-creating actions

2.97

2.54

Successful take-ons

0.73

0.42

Analysing the data, we get a sense that neither are particularly involved in the play in large spells, registering fewer than 20 passes per game.

Likewise, neither striker particularly grabs the ball and takes a player on, completing fewer than one dribble per 90 minutes. Crucially, they both possess the ability to play on the shoulder of the last man and have a gangly playstyle associated with their height. Duran is 6 foot 1, while Jackson is 6 foot 2.

The 24-year-old Jackson might well welcome a fresh opportunity at Villa, particularly when taking in Emery’s transformative powers that worked wonders on the likes of Marcus Rashford last season. He had experienced an equally challenging time at Manchester United before bouncing back well with the Villans, amassing a blistering four goals and six assists in claret and blue.

Moreover, it’s even clearer from the Spaniard’s track record with Duran that he could be the manager to get even more out of a scapegoated Jackson, with the Senegal international once being labelled as a “special” talent by journalist Rahman Osman.

Of course, this move might well backfire if the 24-year-old’s wasteful displays rear their ugly head once more in the West Midlands. But, much like with Duran, it feels like a shot in the dark worth taking.

Better than Ramsey: Aston Villa register interest in £40m "superstar"

Aston Villa could soon win an attacking superstar who is better than Jacob Ramsey.

ByKelan Sarson Jul 17, 2025

كشفت تقارير صحفية بريطانية عن موقف لاعبي ليفربول من تصريحات محمد صلاح النارية ضد النادي والمدرب آرني سلوت خلال الساعات الماضية.

ووفقاً لصحيفة “ديلي ميل” البريطانية فإن آرني سلوت أصبح يحظى بدعم أكبر من لاعبي ليفربول بعد تصريحات صلاح النارية، والتي كانت تهدف لزيادة الضغط على المدرب الهولندي.

ولا يزال سلوت يحظى بتقدير كبير من إدارة ليفربول كمدرب تكتيكي رغم المشاكل التي واجهها الفريق هذا الموسم.

أقرأ أيضاً.. ميرسون: محمد صلاح أسطورة.. وليفربول لم يكن ليفوز بأي لقب بدونه

وأظهرت مباراة إنتر ميلان وخطة مدرب ليفربول آرني سلوت أنه مازال قادرا على استخراج أفضل ما لدى اللاعبين، حيث حقق الريدز الفوز بهدف نظيف.

وعلى الرغم من ذلك فإن هناك شكوكا من البعض في مهارة آرني سلوت في إدارة اللاعبين، وبرزت هذه المخاوف أكثر من أي وقت مضى بعد تصريحات صلاح.

ولا يزال آرني سلوت يحظى بدعم إدارة ليفربول بما في ذلك الرئيس التنفيذي لمجموعة فينواي الرياضية مايكل إدواردز والمدير الرياضي ريتشارد هيوز.

da casino： Nottingham Forest are now in pole position ahead of rival interest from Everton in the race for an exciting homegrown attacking player.

Forest reach verbal agreement with new forward

da supremo： The Reds have already added one attacker in the form of Igor Jesus to their ranks this summer from Brazilian side Botafogo, but given the fact the club are competing in Europe as well as the Premier League next season, Nuno Espirito Santo is keen to add more attacking options to his side.

Related Nottingham Forest "preparing" bid to sign £26m Europa League goalscorer

Forest are lining up a move for a forward.

Posts ByDominic Lund Jul 20, 2025

Furthermore, Anthony Elanga’s exit to Newcastle United means there is a void in the starting XI, and Forest are keen to fill that by signing Dan Ndoye from Bologna. The 24-year-old has been with the Italian side since 2023 and has impressed domestically and internationally in recent seasons, so much so that he is now a genuine target for the Reds.

Forest have submitted a bid to sign Ndoye from Bologna, but on the player’s side, Ndoye has already verbally agreed a deal with the Reds as they look to beat teams such as Napoli and Crystal Palace to his signature.

Should the Switzerland international move to the City Ground, he could be joined by another forward-thinking player as a possible replacement for Morgan Gibbs-White.

Nottingham Forest lead Everton in Ramsey race

According to Football Insider, Nottingham Forest are now leading the race to sign Jacob Ramsey from Aston Villa.

Football Insider previously reported that Aston Villa do want to keep hold of the 24-year-old, but an offer between £40-50 million would be enough to convince Villa to sell, and Forest would be able to get to this mark, with the possibility of Gibbs-White’s exit funding the move.

The Reds are not alone in their pursuit, as Everton are also in the race to sign the attacking midfielder, but the fact Forest can offer Ramsey European football places them ahead of the Toffees.

It was even reported back in May that Ramsey is unhappy at Villa Park due to lack of game time last season. Ramsey played 46 games in all competitions last season, but the attacking midfielder only started 25 of those games, as he struggled to get ahead of some of Unai Emery’s regular picks.

Jacob Ramsey’s Premier League record

Apps

136

Goals

14

Assists

14

Ramsey, who has been dubbed “terrific” by former Aston Villa boss Steven Gerrard in the past, is under contract at Villa Park until 2027, so should Forest make a considerable offer, the Villans could use him as a PSR sacrifice.

For Forest, Ramsey would likely be seen as a direct replacement for Gibbs-White, as the former England under-21 international can play as a number 10, while he can also feature on the left flank.

As MLB spring training gets underway, half of the league is in the state of Arizona to prepare for the 2025 season. Cactus League play begins this week, as the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs face off on Thursday, Feb. 20.

The Cactus League, which is entirely situated in the Phoenix metropolitan area, began in 1947—decades after its counterpart, Florida's Grapefruit League—and now hosts 15 of the league's teams playing across 10 ballparks.

Let's take a look at the towns and ballparks that the 15 teams that play in the Cactus League call home in 2025.

Where every MLB team in Arizona Cactus League hosts spring training

Of the 15 franchises that host spring training in Arizona, 10 share ballparks. Two towns have multiple spring training parks: Mesa, home of the Athletics and Chicago Cubs at separate facilities; and Scottsdale, where the Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies share a facility and the San Francisco Giants play just over five miles across town.

Elly De La Cruz continues to wow people on a baseball diamond.

On Sunday, the Cincinnati Reds shortstop made a ridiculous catch to prevent the Baltimore Orioles from scoring an early run.

In the bottom of the second inning wthe Reds were nursing a 1-0 lead, with Jordan Westburg on second base and one out. Jackson Holliday stepped to the plate and sent a 1-2 pitch from Brent Suter up the middle. The ball was ticketed for center field and possibly an RBI single when De La Cruz flew across the infield and made a full-extension diving catch on the opposite side of second base.

Check this out:

The man is an absolutely ridiculous athlete.

To make things even better, De La Cruz homered to lead off the next inning, sparking a seven-run inning.

As of this article, De La Cruz is slashing .247/.319/.459 with those five home runs, 22 RBIs and seven stolen bases.

The Cincinnati Reds on Thursday agreed to terms on a three-year contract extension with catcher Jose Trevino, according to Jon Heyman of . The extension is worth nearly $15 million and includes a club option for the 2028 season.

The Reds acquired Trevino from the New York Yankees in exchange for relief pitcher Fernando Cruz and catcher Alex Jackson in December of 2024. Trevino was ticketed to become a free agent in 2026 on his old deal but will now be under contract with Cincinnati through '27, with the potential for one more season should the club pick up his option.

Trevino spent the first four seasons of his career with the Texas Rangers before he was traded to the Yankees in '22. He blossomed into an All-Star in his first season in New York, winning a Gold and Platinum Glove as he developed into one of the best defensive catchers in the game.

Lauded for his adept pitch-framing and collaboration with pitchers, Trevino will be an important figure for a young Reds pitching staff. He also figures to see plenty of playing time in '25 with fellow backstop Tyler Stephenson set to begin the season on the Injured List with an oblique strain.

Cincinnati opens the '25 regular season on March 27 against the San Francisco Giants.

It’s March, the best month of the year for college basketball. Smaller conference tournaments are underway, and this is the last weekend of regular-season games in the major conferences. There are some opportunities to make a score with moneyline picks, so let’s get to it.

No. 3 Kansas at No. 9 Texas

Game Info: March 4, 2023 | 4:00 p.m. ET | ESPN

Kansas Straight-Up Record: 25-5 (13-4 Big 12)
Kansas Against the Spread Record: 14-16

Texas Straight-Up Record: 22-8 (11-6 Big 12)
Texas Against the Spread Record: 13-17

The Longhorns have been a really good home team, winning seven straight there and 16 of 17 this season. But they’re bumping up against a better team that is playing at a high level.

The Jayhawks’ current seven-game winning streak is the longest any Big 12 team has had this season in league play. Point guard Dajuan Harris is probably playing the best ball of his career during this streak, averaging 13 points, 6.4 assists and 2.7 steals. Texas Tech transfer Kevin McCullar has found his niche of late as well, providing hard-edged defense and rebounding while contributing some timely baskets.

Texas’ defense has slipped a little recently, and the Horns are vulnerable against a strong offensive rebounding team. Kansas isn’t overwhelming in that area, but there will be second-chance scoring opportunities available for the Jayhawks.

Bet: Kansas Moneyline