Sri Lanka’s Kasun Rajitha celebrates after dismissing a wicket during the fourth day of the first Test against Bangladesh in Sylhet on March 25, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AFP

Kasun Rajitha claimed 5-56 as Sri Lanka bowled Bangladesh out for 182 in its second innings on March 25 to clinch a 328-run victory in the first Test.

Rajitha, who returned 3-56 in the first innings, finished with career-best match figures of 8-112 in a Test match.

Mominul Haque played a lonely defiant innings for the hosts, stranded on 87 from 148 deliveries when the final wicket fell in the middle session on Day 4. His innings contained 12 boundaries and a six.

Bangladesh was set an improbable 511-run victory target after Sri Lanka rode on centuries in each innings from Kamindu Mendis and skipper Dhananjaya de Silva.

Sri Lanka made early inroads in Monday’s morning session when Rajitha trapped Taijul Islam lbw for six in the second over after Bangladesh had resumed at 47 for five.

Mominul and Mehidy Hasan combined for a 66-run seventh-wicket stand, but Rajitha struck again to break up the partnership. Mehidy scored 33 from 50 deliveries before he played an expansive drive and got a thick outside edge.

Mominul also had a 47-run partnership with Shoriful Islam (12) for the eighth wicket, which only reduced the margin of the defeat.

Rajitha broke the partnership when he took a return catch to dismiss Shoriful. With his next delivery, he had Khaled Ahmed caught by Kusal Mendis for a duck to complete the second five-wicket haul in his test career.

Kumara, who returned figures of 2-39, ended Bangladesh’s innings by dismissing Nahid Rana for a duck.

Vishwa Fernando couldn’t add to his three-wicket haul from Day 3 and finished with figures of 3-36 from 15 overs.

After recovering from an early batting collapse at the start of the match, Sri Lanka posted 280 in the first innings with de Silva and Mendis each scoring 102.

After dismissing Bangladesh for 188, de Silva (108) and Kamindu (164) again hit centuries as Sri Lanka reached 418 in its second innings to set up victory. (AP) AYG

Head coach Rahul Dravid. File
| Photo Credit: R.V. Moorthy

Rahul Dravid underlined the importance of staying together and functioning as a unit to be triumphant in the tough world of Test cricket while delivering a motivational dressing room speech after India registered a memorable 4-1 series win over England.

After losing the opening Test in Hyderabad, the hosts bounced back in stunning fashion to win the next four matches to claim the series.

“Series like this have to be earned and this is tough. Test cricket is hard at times. It’s hard in terms of your skill. It’s hard physically, as you’ve seen, it’s hard mentally,” Dravid said in a video posted on BCCI.tv.

“But it’s great satisfaction at the end of it. The satisfaction that you get winning a series like this coming from one behind to be able to win four. I think it’s just phenomenal,” he added.

As key players like Virat Kohli and Mohammed Shami and KL Rahul, who played only the opener, were unavailable, India found heroes in some young names in the series. The home side handed debuts to five players — Rajat Paitidar, Dhruv Jurel, Devdutt Padikkal, Sarfaraz Khan and Akash Deep — in the marquee series.

In fact, Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja too missed a Test each.

The Indian coach was a chuffed man after some of those young names emerged with flying colours from the series.

“For a lot of you young guys, especially coming into this group, you are going to need each other to succeed. Whether you’re a batsman or bowler or whatever you are, your success is tied in with other people’s success.

“All of you are invested in each other’s success. And that’s really important going forward. It’s not about your success, but it’s about how you can help other people succeed, which will also help you succeed,” he said.

The 51-year-old was delighted to see the players finding ways to turn the tide whenever they were put under pressure.

“There were times in the series that we were really challenged and pushed and we found a way to bounce back, which speaks to the skills that we have, the resilience that we have, the character that we have.

“On many occasions in this series the games could have gone either way. But we always found people in this dressing room who stepped up and turned the game our way. And that was fantastic.” Dravid also said the team also did well to maximise advantageous positions.

“So, you not only need to win the games when you have to fight back, which we did really well. But you have to also win the games when you’re ahead and you don’t let the opposition come back in any situation.” The former India captain praised the team for emerging winners from a long, gruelling series against a quality opposition.

“We talked about this at the start of the series as well. Irrespective of whether we win or lose this is going to teach us a lot — a five Test match series. You’re going to go through a lot of ups and downs.

“It’s a long series, you’re going to be tested. And it was going to teach us a lot about us as players or some as a team, and a lot about us and we’ve come through that exceptionally with terrific flying colours and we face challenges both on and off the field.”

Indian players celebrate with the trophy after winning the fifth Test match against England by an innings and 64 runs, in Dharamsala on March 9, 2024
| Photo Credit: ANI

The Rohit Sharma-led Indian team consolidated its top position in the World Test Championship rankings following its 4-1 series win over England.

India, following their innings and 64-run victory in Dharamsala on March 9, improved their percentage points from 64.58 to 68.51 after nine matches.

India have won six, lost two and drawn one match in the current World Test Championship (WTC) cycle.

New Zealand, with 60 percentage points, are at second spot.

Despite lacking several frontline players and starting the five-match series with a loss in the first Test at Hyderabad, India bounced back remarkably to decimate England.

“The victory by an innings and 64 runs in Dharamsala helped them gain 12 crucial WTC points, taking their tally to 74. This has lifted their point percentage from 64.58 to 68.51,” ICC said in a statement.

India had jumped from second to first spot on the WTC table earlier this week after New Zealand lost to Australia by 172 runs in the opening Test at Wellington.

Australia are third on the table with 59.09 percentage points.

England are at eighth spot with 17.5 percentage points following the series loss to India.

Indian opener Yashasvi Jaiswal plays a shot during the fifth Test against England in Dharamsala. Jaiswal won the player-of-the-series award by scoring 702 runs with two hundreds and three fifties averaging 89.
| Photo Credit: ANI

The Player-of-the-Series award winner Yashasvi Jaiswal on March 9 attributed his overwhelming success in the five-Test rubber against England to his uninhibited approach while opening the innings.

Jaiswal ended the series with 712 runs with two hundreds and three fifties, averaging 89 and striking at 80.

“I was just thinking if I can take a bowler down, I will take him down. That’s the plan and there was no backing out,” said Jaiswal during the post-series presentation.

However, the left-hander, who became only the second Indian to score over 700 runs in a series after Sunil Gavaskar, said he wanted to keep his feet planted on the ground.

“I really enjoyed the series. I am trying to take it one game at a time and always thinking of how I can contribute to my team so that I can keep the team in a winning position,” he added.

Skipper Rohit Sharma too reminded Jaiswal of the need to remain humble and focussed.

“He’s got a long way to go, but it’s amazing to be in this position. When a guy’s got talent like that who can put pressure on the bowlers from the word go, there will be lots of challenges going forward. He is a tough guy and loves the challenges,” said Rohit.

Was trying to keep ball on good length: Kuldeep

Kuldeep Yadav was adjudged player of the match for his seven-wicket haul and a feisty 30 down the order that helped India stretch the lead.

The left-arm wrist spinner said he was just trying to keep the ball on a good length throughout his spells.

“I just focus on keeping it on a good length and that is very important for a spinner in this format. I was not thinking too much about what the batter was trying to do,” he said.

Kuldeep picked the wickets of Ben Stokes at Ranchi and Zak Crawley here as his favourite dismissals from the series.

“I really bowled well in Ranchi. The wicket was slow and the way I used the drift over there was fantastic. I liked the Stokes wicket in Ranchi.

“I also liked the Crawley wicket here (Dharamsala), that was a beautiful ball. I really liked my rhythm,” he said.

Kuldeep bowled England captain Stokes with a delivery that spun in from off-stump while right-hander Crawley got castled by his stock ball that turned in sharply from the fifth-stump line to disturb his stumps.

Rohit Sharma heaped praise on Kuldeep’s work ethics.

“He’s got a lot of potential and when the chips were down in the first innings (here), he bowled really well. He came back and worked at NCA after his injury. He is putting in a lot of effort and the most pleasing thing was his (improved) batting,” said Rohit.

New Zealand’s Kane Williamson in action day 2 of the second Test against Australia in Christchurch on March 9, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP

Kane Williamson gave the fans what they came for with a fighting half century in his 100th test Saturday on the second day of the second test between New Zealand and Australia.

After his first innings ended in disappointment, Williamson delivered in his second with his 34th test half century from 105 balls in a 105-run partnership for the second wicket with Tom Latham.

The pair steered New Zealand from 6-1 to 111-2, erasing Australia’s first innings lead of 94, before Williamson was out for 51.

At stumps New Zealand was 134-2 and led by 40 runs. Latham was 65 not out, his highest test score against Australia, and Rachin Ravindra was 11.

“They are quality bowlers and obviously the pitch has offered a little bit throughout, so it’s nice to put together a bit of partnership and hopefully tomorrow we can put a few more on there and have another go,” Williamson said.

“They made it tough out there. There’s a bit in the surface, a bit of bounce. But credit to Tom Latham, he led the way and has played beautifully.” From the start, the test at Hagley Oval has had the sense of a pilgrimage for fans who came to pay tribute to Williamson and New Zealand captain Tim Southee in their 100th tests.

Williamson received a standing ovation on his way to crease in New Zealand’s first innings on the first day Friday. He made only 17 as New Zealand was bowled out for 162. Southee made 26 which was the third-highest total in the New Zealand innings.

Marnus Labuschagne returned to form Saturday with an innings of 90 in Australia’s first innings of 256 as the tourists took that 94-run first innings lead. Matt Henry took 7-67 for the second seven-wicket bag of his career and his second five-wicket haul of the series.

New Zealand was 6-1 in its second innings when Williamson walked to the crease, again to a standing ovation.

The banks and bleachers of Hagley Oval have been packed on both days and at Williamson’s appearance have risen as one to acclaim. On Saturday, Australian fans in gold and New Zealanders costumed as lifeguards or cavemen or storybook characters — it was “dress-up day” — were equal in their ovation.

This time Williamson lived up to the welcome and his innings helped New Zealand balance the match after Australia held the upper hand on the first day and the start of the second.

Australia resumed Saturday at 124-4, needing just 38 runs to match New Zealand’s first-innings total. Labuschagne was 45 not out and nightwatchman Nathan Lyon was 1.

Lyon frustrated New Zealand by making 40 as nightwatchman in the first innings of the first test which Australia won by 172 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the two-test series.

He repeated the dose, making 20 in a 51-run partnership with Labuschagne which carried Australia within four runs of the New Zealand total.

Labuschagne went on to a half century from 90 balls — his first in his last six test innings. He was closing on his first century in 15 innings when he fell for 90 in the last over before lunch.

Henry took three of the four wickets that fell before stumps on day one and added four more without threatening his career-best figures of 7-23, also achieved at Hagley Oval, his home ground.

Mitchell Starc made 28 and captain Pat Cummins 23 as Australia boosted its lead to 24.

New Zealand had a major setback when it lost Young in only the third over of its innings. But Latham and Williamson stayed together for the next 36 overs and when they finally were separated, New Zealand held a slim 17-run lead.

The crowd cheered every aspect of Williamson’s innings, acknowledging each of his six boundaries with prolonged applause. The din was even greater when Williamson followed Latham to his half century in 153 minutes.

Latham reached the mark from 110 balls and Williamson attained the milestone minutes later.

He finally was out, playing wide of his body at a ball from Cummins that ducked back a fraction, took the inside edge and cannoned onto his stumps. Williamson left, again to a standing ovation.

Latham, on 59, was dropped by wicketkeeper Alex Carey off Josh Hazlewood 15 minutes before stumps. The edge was flying towards Usman Khawaja at first slip but Carey dive across and couldn’t hold the catch. (AP) AM AM AM

Indian and English players greet each other after India won the fourth Test cricket match against England, in Ranchi. File
| Photo Credit: PTI

Two-time finalists India jumped to the top of the World Test Championship (WTC) standings, replacing New Zealand in the latest rankings issued on March 3.

India, who defeated England by five wickets in the fourth Test in Ranchi to take an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match series, replaced the Kiwis with a stronger points percentage of 64.58.

With five wins, two losses and one draw, India have 62 points in 8 matches, while the Black Caps have 36 from five matches (three wins, two losses) and have a point-percentage of 60.00.

Before the start of the Wellington Test, New Zealand were sitting at the top of the table with 36 points in four games and a points percentage of 75.

But following their massive 172-run defeat, the 2021 WTC champions lost the top spot, slipping to the No 2 position with a points percentage of 60.

Third-placed Australia have closed on the gap after the Wellington Test, gaining 12 crucial points as they now have 78 points from 11 matches (seven wins, three losses and one draw).

Their points percentage has also increased from 55 to 59.09.

The 2023 champions have the opportunity to surpass New Zealand and move up to the second spot if they win the second and final Test at Christchurch from March 8.

India, meanwhile, take on England in the final match of the five-Test series in Dharamsala from March 7.

Australia can climb to the top spot if England beat India in the Dharamsala Test.