South Africa's Kagiso Rabada has reclaimed the top spot in the ICC Men's Test Bowling Rankings after a stellar performance in the first match of the ICC World Test Championship series against Bangladesh. The 29-year-old fast bowler became the fastest to reach 300 Test wickets and also finished with nine wickets in the match. Left-arm spinners Noman Ali of Pakistan and Mitchel Santner of New Zealand have also made significant progress in the rankings. Other notable improvements include Bangladesh's Taijul Islam and South Africa's Wiaan Mulder. In the batting rankings, India's Yashasvi Jaiswal, Pakistan's Saud Shakeel, and New Zealand's Rachin Ravindra have entered the top 10 for the first time.
Despite a strong performance from the bowlers, the Indian batting lineup struggled yet again, ending day one of the third Test against New Zealand at 86/4. With losses in the previous two Tests, the Indian team is facing the possibility of a 3-0 series defeat. Left-arm spinner Jadeja led the bowling attack with a fifer, but the Indian batters, including captain Rohit Sharma and star player Virat Kohli, fell victim to misfortune and poor timing. However, there is still hope for India as Washington Sundar's four wickets helped restrict New Zealand to 235 runs in their first innings.
After a disappointing performance by Bumrah in India's loss to New Zealand, Rabada climbs to the top of ICC Men's Test Bowling Rankings. While Australia's Josh Hazlewood takes the second spot, Bumrah drops to third. South Africa's win against Bangladesh, coupled with Bumrah's zero wickets in Pune, helped Rabada earn the No.1 spot. Meanwhile, Ravichandran Ashwin drops to fourth and New Zealand's Mitchell Santner makes an impressive move up to 44th.
After an unbeaten 12-year streak, India faced a shocking defeat at the hands of New Zealand in the home Test series, with left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner taking a remarkable 13 wickets in the match. Despite reflecting on their shortcomings and acknowledging New Zealand's strong performance, India's captain Rohit Sharma remained uncertain about their loss. Despite this loss, India still holds the top spot in the World Test Championship standings.
Tom Latham, captain of the New Zealand cricket team, attributes their first-ever Test series win in India to their aggressive playing style and winning the toss in the second Test. The Kiwis' bowlers put in an impressive performance, with Mitchell Santner taking 13 wickets, to seal an unassailable 2-0 series lead. Latham praised Santner's contributions and expects a tough challenge from India in the final Test match in Mumbai.
After a disappointing loss to New Zealand in the Pune Test, Indian captain Rohit Sharma acknowledges that their batting performance was the main reason for their defeat. Despite an impressive performance from Yashasvi Jaiswal, India fell short of the target set by New Zealand, largely due to the brilliance of Mitchell Santner. The loss puts India in a difficult position as they head into the third and final Test, with hopes of avoiding a whitewash and earning points for the World Test Championship. Sharma remains optimistic about the team's chances and emphasizes the need to focus on the present and improve as a unit.
New Zealand's historic win against India in the second Test proves to be a game changer as they claim their first-ever test series win in India after a 69-year-long wait. The team's preparation and disciplined playing, along with the outstanding performance by all-rounder Mitchell Santner, have led to their back-to-back victories. Even though India's Yashasvi Jaiswal's top-scored with 77 runs, it was not enough to save the team from facing another defeat. With this series win, New Zealand has ended India's unbeaten streak in home tests and claimed the top spot in the World Test Championship points table. The third and final test is set to take place in Mumbai on November 1 before India travels to Australia for a five-match Test series.
Momentum shifted towards New Zealand as spinner Mitchell Santner took out the crucial wicket of Indian captain Rohit Sharma in the first innings of the second Test in Pune. With an uphill task of chasing 359 runs, India needed a solid start from their openers but Santner's sharp tactics and late ball release proved to be too much for Rohit. The former India coach and legendary leg-spinner Anil Kumble praised Santner for outfoxing Rohit with his variations and astute observation of the batsman's movements. India's hopes of a strong opening partnership were dashed early, and the dismissals of Rohit proved to be a major setback for the team.
As India and New Zealand face off in the second Test, the spotlight is on Ravichandran Ashwin, who has taken two crucial wickets on Day 2 and looks to continue his dominance on Day 3. With India looking to take wickets and New Zealand looking to build a strong partnership, the match promises to be an exciting one. Stay tuned for live updates and analysis on Sportstar.
Former India coach Ravi Shastri did not hold back in his criticism of captain Rohit Sharma's tactics during the second day of the ongoing second Test against New Zealand. Despite a stellar effort from New Zealand's Mitchell Santner, who took career-best figures of 7/53, Shastri felt that Rohit's conservative field placements were not aggressive enough to dismiss the Kiwis quickly. As a result, New Zealand consolidated their lead in the second innings, with Tom Latham and Will Young taking charge and putting India in a challenging position.