In a series that eventually became Pooran vs the rest, the West Indies batter won his individual battles

Hemant Brar14-Aug-20231:14

Jaffer: Pooran is West Indies’ X-factor

With scores level in the fifth and final T20I in Lauderhill, West Indies captain Rovman Powell gave Nicholas Pooran a big hug in the dugout. In the middle, Brandon King was unbeaten on 85, his highest T20I score, but it was Pooran’s 47 off 35 that had paved the way to victory.Cricket, otherwise a team sport, can sometimes become a clash between an individual and a team. Those who followed Indian cricket in the 1990s will be familiar with this feeling. Back then, it was invariably Sachin Tendulkar vs the opposition. The opposition, too, focused on getting Tendulkar out early, because doing so meant half the battle was won.In this five-match T20I series against West Indies, Pooran had been that individual for India. In the second T20I, he almost singlehandedly took his side to victory. In the next two, India dismissed him early and registered comfortable wins.Related

• Dravid: WI series loss has shown India needs batting depth

• 'I was not able to finish' – Hardik Pandya takes responsibility after India lose to West Indies

• Brandon King and Nicholas Pooran deliver knockout blow to India

On Sunday, in the series decider, it was once again Pooran versus India.Batting first, India could manage only 165 for 9. West Indies knew they could put them under even more pressure if they dominated the powerplay. So when Kyle Mayers fell in the second over, they promoted Pooran, who until that point in the series had batted at No. 4.Having dismissed Mayers with a short-of-length delivery, Arshdeep Singh tried the same ploy against Pooran as well and, with his second ball to the batter, hit him on the ribs. Two deliveries later came the sucker ball: another short ball but bowled with just knuckles behind it. Pooran, though, made it look as if he was just waiting for it, and deposited it over deep midwicket for a six.In the next over, Pooran had a slice of luck. He mistimed a pull against Hardik Pandya, but Mukesh Kumar, sprinting in from mid-off and diving forward with an outstretched right hand, failed to cling on to it. The batter added insult to injury by pulling the next two balls over the boundary line, his first three scoring shots all sixes as he moved to 18 off seven. His onslaught also took the pressure off King, who was on 2 off six at that point.With Pooran looking dangerous once again, and India not having many runs in the bank, Hardik turned to his wicket-taking weapon, Kuldeep Yadav, in the fifth over of the chase. Now it was a face-off between two individuals. After all, T20s are often decided by such bouts, the match-ups.Coming into this game, Kuldeep had dismissed Pooran four times in T20s while conceding just 41 runs in 43 balls. Two of those dismissals had come in the third and fourth match of this series. And when he rapped Pooran on the pads in his very first over on Sunday, and the umpire raised his finger, India thought they had got their man.Pooran, though, knew he had gloved the ball. He straightaway reviewed the on-field decision and got it overturned. In Kuldeep’s next over, he reverse-swept him for four. But that was the last time he took a risk against the spinner.Nicholas Pooran slammed one four and four sixes during his knock•Associated PressBy then, West Indies were well ahead of the asking rate, as well as the DLS target with rain in the air. Pooran showed game awareness and put aside his ego. In all, he scored only 11 off 14 balls against Kuldeep but by not giving away his wicket, he had not only won the individual contest but effectively the match, and the series, for his team.Later, Powell too lauded Pooran’s efforts throughout the series. “I am very big on individual performances,” he said. “If individuals can stand up for us, we will always do well as a team. Nicholas is a very important component of our team. We know it’s difficult to perform all five games, so we asked him to try his best and stand up in three out of five games.” Needless to say, Pooran didn’t disappoint his captain.To be fair to Kuldeep, he was bowling with a wet ball (two rain breaks during India’s innings meant the outfield wasn’t dry). That, combined with the defensive approach by Pooran and King, meant he didn’t look as threatening as he had in the previous games. He conceded only 18 from his four overs but couldn’t pick up a wicket.With Pooran at the crease, Hardik didn’t risk bowling Axar Patel, which left India with just five bowling options for the majority of the chase. It also saved King from facing Axar, who had kept him quiet in the past, allowing just 19 runs off 22 balls in T20s.By the time, Tilak Varma got Pooran out, West Indies needed just 47 off 40 balls. They knocked those off with two overs to spare.For his 176 runs in five T20Is, Pooran was named the Player of the Series. He also won an electric guitar for hitting the most sixes. However, he had a flight to catch immediately after the match and had left the ground a bit early. So he couldn’t collect the series award or the guitar. But then he had already played his greatest hits.

A recap of some of the standout numbers from a run-fest in Guwahati

Sampath Bandarupalli28-Nov-202321 Runs needed for Australia at the start of the 20th over in Guwahati. These are the most target runs successfully chased by any team in the 20th over in T20Is. The previous highest was 19 runs by West Indies against England in the 2016 T20 World Cup final and Sri Lanka against Australia in the last year’s Pallekele T20I.4 Hundreds for Glenn Maxwell in T20Is, the joint-most by any batter in the format, equaling Rohit Sharma.ESPNcricinfo Ltd3 out of 4 T20I hundreds by Maxwell have come in run-chases. That is the most by any batter in men’s T20I chases, going one ahead of KL Rahul, Babar Azam and Muhammad Waseem. All three hundreds from Maxwell came while batting at No. 4 and lower, which is also a record.123* Ruturaj Gaikwad’s score in this match is the second-highest individual score for India in T20Is, behind Shubman Gill’s 126* against New Zealand in Ahmedabad in February. Gaikwad’s 123* is now the highest T20I score by any batter against Australia, surpassing Brendon McCullum’s 116* in 2010 in Christchurch.Related

Gaikwad and Maxwell: two brilliant centuries, two vastly contrasting methods

Australia's unlikely cast reinforces weary T20 squad in India

Maxwell's 104* trumps Gaikwad's 123* as Australia keep series alive

Ball-by-ball: how Maxwell conjured another miracle

1 Number of individual T20I scores higher than Gaikwad’s 123* to be on the losing side. Shane Watson’s unbeaten 124 against India in 2016 at the SCG remains the highest T20I score in the losing cause.1 Maxwell also became the first batter to score a century in their 100th T20I match. The previous highest score in career’s 100th T20I game was 85 by Rohit Sharma against Bangladesh in 2019.47 Balls Maxwell needed for his century, the joint-fastest by an Australian in men’s T20Is, equaling Aaron Finch (vs England in 2013) and Josh Inglis (vs India in 2023).ESPNcricinfo Ltd3 Instances of two batters scoring hundreds in the same men’s T20I before Gaikwad and Maxwell did in Guwahati. Twice it was by the opposing batters – Evin Lewis and KL Rahul in Lauderhill in 2016 was the first, while Johnson Charles and Quinton de Kock replicated it earlier this year in Centurion.Sabawoon Davizi and Dylan Steyn, the Czech Republic openers, scored hundreds in the same game against Bulgaria in 2022, the only instance of two centuries in a men’s T20I innings.223 The target chased down by Australia in Guwahati is the highest in T20Is against India, surpassing South Africa’s 212-run chase in Delhi last year. It is also the second-highest successful chase for Australia, behind the 244 against New Zealand in 2018.ESPNcricinfo Ltd68 Runs conceded by Prasidh Krishna in his four overs are the most for India in a T20I match. Yuzvendra Chahal’s 64 runs against South Africa in 2018 were the previous most.53 Runs between India and Australia in the 20th over of this match. These are the most runs aggregated in the 20th over of any men’s T20 game, where ball-by-ball data is available. Maxwell, who bowled the 20th over in the Indian innings, conceded 30 runs but helped Australia score 23 in the chase, with 18 runs in four balls he faced.

From consulting pulmonologists to asking players to sit indoors, the ICC and event organisers are taking other steps too to help the players

Andrew Fidel Fernando05-Nov-2023

The ICC’s protocols

Since the 2017 Delhi Test between Sri Lanka and India, in which many players had vomited after stints in the field, and other reported respiratory problems, the ICC drew up guidelines in which poor air quality would be treated the same as weather events that impede play, or compromise player safety, such as rain, or lightning.This means that air quality will be monitored by BCCI staff via handheld devices in the stadium (the nearest measuring station is over one kilometre away), and these readings will be conveyed to the ICC’s medical staff, as well as medical staff of both the Bangladesh and Sri Lanka teams. Match officials already have guidelines as to what kinds of air quality conditions are suitable for play.The figure below which it is safe to play, according to ICC guidelines and Sri Lanka medical staff, is an AQI of 200. This is not a hard cutoff, however (like the wide-ball guidelines on a pitch). Doctors are likely to consider player feedback quite seriously.

What happens on match day?

With monitoring ongoing at the stadium itself, match officials, in concert with medical staff, will take a call on when conditions are suitable for play. Because air quality is being considered as essentially a part of the weather by the ICC, the toss is expected to happen at 1:30pm local, and so long as the ICC and the medical staff consider the air quality suitable for play, the match will begin at 2pm.If conditions are not suitable, officials will watch the readings until such time as it improves sufficiently to allow play. Just as it would happen for rain or a wet outfield, the extra time that is built into a cricket match will be used up if necessary, and if that is exhausted, the match will start losing overs.If an ODI cannot be completed (each team would have to bat a minimum of 20 overs for it to considered a completed ODI), the teams will take a point each from the game.The Sri Lankan team trains in hazy conditions•ICC via Getty Images

How can organisers help?

They will urge players to remain in the dressing rooms, where air purifiers will be operational, rather than in the outdoor dugout, where those who run drinks in particular, usually sit. They will also use sprinklers to lower the pollutants in the immediate playing area. Rain has often helped substantially reduce pollutants in the air, but to what extent sprinklers can do the same, and for how long, is unclear.In that 2017 Test, many Sri Lanka players also wore masks as they stepped out into the outfield. In the approach to this match, many Bangladesh and Sri Lanka players were seen wearing masks, which doctors had recommended.

Has there ever been a pollution-shortened game before?

Although that Test in 2017 had seen long medical delays, there have been no limited-overs internationals that have been shortened because of pollution. Cricket, to some extent is shooting in the dark here. Although the ICC is consulting a pulmonologist (lung specialist), there is not a lot of data as to what constitutes safe air quality conditions for cricket, particularly given there are different cardiovascular workloads on fast bowlers, batters, spinners, and wicketkeepers.

Where does this leave the cricket?

Both teams have tried to have as many practice sessions before this match as possible, partly because they are both perceived to have underperformed by their home fans, and feel as if they must be seen as working hard. With Champions Trophy qualification on the line, Bangladesh need this match to happen more than Sri Lanka (Bangladesh have two points this World Cup), but Sri Lanka would like the chance at two points too.

What have the team said about air quality?

Sri Lanka team manager Mahinda Halangoda: “Definitely we will be looking at the index. We will be guided by the ICC. They have a medical panel here. We will be guided by their instruction. When we came here today we were wearing masks, and we were told to wear masks. It depends on how the outside index is, and then we’ll make a call.”Bangladesh coach Chandika Hathurusinghe: “Air quality is affecting both teams. It is not ideal. But we have no choice. We have to play in the conditions that’s in front of us.”

Firdose Moonda and Valkerie Baynes chat to Nigar Sultana Joty to mark International Women’s Day

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Mar-2024In the second episode of ESPNcricinfo Powerplay, Firdose Moonda and Valkerie Baynes speak with Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana about the hurdles she and her countrywomen have overcome to play the sport they love.

England’s tour of India ended with another thumping to leave Bazball in the crosshairs again. Miller, Vish and Karthik joined Alan to wrap the series

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Mar-2024The end came quickly in Dharamsala, as India romped to an innings win and a 4-1 series victory. England were left to pick out the positives, which included James Anderson’s 700th Test wicket. On this week’s podcast, Alan Gardner was joined by Andrew Miller, Vithushan Ehantharajah and Karthik Krishnaswamy to discuss where it all went wrong for the Bazballers. How significant was Anderson’s achievement? Will Jonny Bairstow’s 100th Test appearance also be his last? And what changes might be on the cards when the Test team reunite in the summer?

Even in the T20 age, Test cricket rewards the patience that underpins success

Nagraj Gollapudi10-Jul-2024Kavem Hodge sunk to his knees in shock. Both his gloved hands were clasped on the top of the bat handle as he looked at Alzarri Joseph, his batting partner, in disbelief.Ollie Pope, standing well in front of the normal point position, had just caught a stunning catch to intercept a fiercely-cut square drive from Hodge off Chris Woakes, who shook his head, too, in disbelief. After staying at the crease for nearly 20 seconds in the aftermath of his dismissal, Hodge would finally start to head back slowly to the dressing room, while continuing to shake his head at what had just happened.Pope had no business to pluck a catch like that and make it look ridiculously simple. He was standing on the outer edge of the third pitch from the Pavilion End when he instinctively put out both hands to his left as soon as Hodge cut a short Woakes delivery which was far outside his off stump for what he thought was a certain four. On reflection, did Hodge think he could have left that innocuous delivery? Or did he feel justified in going after a short delivery?Related

James Anderson endures the beginning of his end

England unveil succession plan as Atkinson emerges from the shadows

Atkinson upstages Anderson with seven-for as England dominate

Baracara's speed demon: the Shamar Joseph story

Stokes: England must build a team that can win in Australia

That kind of scrutiny is necessary because of the state of play at the time: West Indies, having been put into bat, were 88 for 6. The previous over, Gus Atkinson had erased West Indies middle order picking the trio of Alick Athanaze, Jason Holder and Joshua da Silva in four deliveries. Hodge was the last specialist batter. The match was still young: Woakes’ was the 36th over of the match and eighth post-lunch.Test cricket, even in this raging T20 age, rewards good basics. Basics underwrite success in the longest format. Atkinson, making his debut, prospered only because he was disciplined in his line, pitched most on a good length while delivering high speeds closer to 90mph/145kph. The slope when bowling from the Pavilion End, which fast bowlers struggle with at times, didn’t distract Atkinson who used the scrambled seam, which he termed as his stock delivery and the “most dangerous” to trouble the batter.Kavem Hodge was in disbelief upon being dismissed•Getty ImagesAthanaze chased a delivery that was leaving him with hard hands straight to first slip. Holder, who has scored three centuries, including a double ton, in his previous 64 Tests, awkwardly defended a ball that was seaming away from the leg stump, with the edge again heading to the slips. Da Silva was all at sea against the ball that landed on the side of the seam and nipped in, taking an edge into the hands of his counterpart Jamie Smith.In the three-day warm-up West Indies played last week, against a County Select XI, Hodge had scored a century with Athanaze and Mikyle Louis, who made his Test debut, scoring patient 50s. Despite the vast difference in bowling attacks, the three batters had shown composure to convert their starts. On Wednesday, though, impatience crept into the visitors’ mindsets quickly.Take Kraigg Brathwaite, the most experienced West Indies player and their lead batter. Brathwaite had been stranded for two overs at the other end as Louis, the first player from St Kitts to play Test cricket for West Indies, occupied strike. Brathwaite would have been impressed that Louis, who will turn 24 in August, had been obedient about playing the ball late in overcast conditions against the Dukes ball.England’s players celebrate the wicket of Kirk McKenzie•Getty ImagesOn Tuesday, speaking at the pre-match briefing, Brathwaite talked about how he would tell his batters to “trust your defence, whether you’re going to attack or defend the ball, fully believe in yourself, and stay as still as possible.” The captain, though, forgot his own counsel. Struggling on six runs off 31 balls, Brathwaite went chasing the second ball of Atkinson’s first over and played on.Louis, though, looked the most settled of all West Indies batters. Not only did he stay still, he allowed the ball to come him and then played it under his eyes or close to his body. A good defence invariably leads to a positive mindset as Louis picked a fuller delivery on his legs from Woakes to flick over the square leg for the only six on the first day.But, this being his first tour, the tough examination followed soon. Ben Stokes used the crease and mixed the lines to bolt Louis in his crease, starving him of runs. This came in the period just before lunch. You could sense Stokes was setting up the young opener who eventually fell to a good ball, well caught at second slip by Harry Brook.As former West Indies captain Jimmy Adams, who is their assistant coach, said it was a testing first day, the type that most of his young batters need as part of their education. Rest assured Adams and the West Indies coaching staff will remind their players: stick to the basics.

ESPNcricinfo’s writers pick their favourite shots of IPL 2024

ESPNcricinfo staff28-May-2024

Rishabh Pant’s no-look whip vs Venkatesh Iyer

By Karthik KrishnaswamyRishabh Pant has played that no-look, no-feet, no-care-in-the-world whip over fine leg numerous times in his career, and he has done it off bowlers far better than Venkatesh Iyer. But every Rishabh Pant thing that Rishabh Pant did during IPL 2024 was an occasion to celebrate, and this shot was particularly heartwarming because it involved a significant amount of knee-flexing, and we all know what Pant’s knees have gone through. This was another sign that Pant was back, properly, reconstructed ligaments and all.MS Dhoni sent Yash Dayal’s full toss over the roof in Bengaluru•BCCI

Dhoni’s 110 m six vs Dayal

By Sidharth MongaRCB’s comeback from one win in eight matches into the playoffs was the story of the tournament. After every kind of miraculous effort, it still came down to a youngster bowling to MS Dhoni in the final over to deny CSK the required net run rate to knock RCB out. Yash Dayal tried a back-of-the-hand slower ball, ended up offering a juicy full toss, and Dhoni monstered it over the Chinnaswamy stands and onto one of the roads. Now it is said that Dhoni aims to hit such a morale-busting six first ball of the last over following which bowlers lose their composure, which is more urban legend than anything. This shot is my favourite of this IPL because it led to another, opposing urban legend: because Dhoni hit the ball out of the ground and lost it, Dayal could execute slower deliveries with the replacement ball that was dry, and redeem himself after having been hit for five sixes in the last over by Rinku Singh last year.Ruturaj Gaikwad hit a six against Mumbai that impressed his former captain•BCCI

Gaikwad wows Dhoni

By Alagappan MuthuMS Dhoni knows sixes. So, when his eyes widened, and he pushed his lips up and out, as he watched the ball sail over the boundary with an appreciative nod, it’s proof that something special has happened. Akash Madhwal was bowling. He had seen the batter charge at him. Making room outside leg stump. So he corrected his course. And dragged his line wide. Ruturaj Gaikwad was mid-move when he realised he was out of position. This was a ball that he wasn’t supposed to reach. It was also a ball that he hit for six over point. Gaikwad is far from the ideal T20 batter but his sense for timing and placement can tempt even the most esteemed jaws to hit the floor.

They are India’s most vital players and if they’re on form, it’s a big battle won

Ian Chappell22-Sep-2024India have the ideal build up to their tour of Australia with two Tests against Bangladesh, then a more demanding three-game series with New Zealand.Apart from winning both series, India’s priority will be to get as many players as possible into form without suffering major injuries. However, the most pressing matters are to achieve those aims with Jasprit Bumrah and Rishabh Pant.Pant’s ability to bounce back onto the Test scene is quite remarkable given his horrific car accident. He is a crucial wicketkeeper-batter in the Indian line-up and he’d give the team a major boost if he’s at the peak of his powers for the Australian tour.Related

• Why Australia vs India is Test cricket's premier rivalry

• Watson: I think Pant is going to have a big series in Australia

• Ponting tips Australia to beat India 3-1 in Border Gavaskar Trophy

• Lyon on India: 'Ten years of unfinished business'

• Hayden: Hard to say who has the edge in Border-Gavaskar Trophy

As an in-form batter, Pant is vital, which he displayed on the 2020-21 Australian tour with crucial innings in both the SCG and Gabba Tests. His ability to score quickly utilising his innovative aggression is an important part of India’s strategy.His wicketkeeping is also vital – if Pant can perform at his best, he’s the ideal keeper for Australian conditions. If he’s able to continue with his agile performance standing back, that is what is required in Australia. You need a keeper who capably covers a lot of territory to both sides of the wicket. Any keeper who fulfils those requirements not only improves the team’s fielding but also allows the slip fielders to spread wider to cover extra territory.Pant’s keeping standing up to the stumps drastically improved before his serious injury, following an ultimatum from coach Ravi Shastri. The fact that Pant progressed from being a dubious keeper against spinners to a very good gloveman standing up to the stumps, admirably displayed his willingness to work hard.Pant’s improvement sums up the thoughts of that excellent Australian gloveman Rod Marsh: “If you’re the incumbent,” he said, “and you don’t improve, then you’re not thinking correctly.” Marsh rightly concluded that if you were keeping and practising most days of the week, then you should become a better keeper.

At the start of the 1972 Ashes tour I suggested we might keep Dennis Lillee in cotton wool. He told me: “Like a batsman, I need to be in form. When I take a five-wicket haul, you can talk about putting me in cotton wool”

While the batting needs to be at its best, the other crucial factor will be the Indian pace bowling. The presence of a keeper-batter in the middle order and allrounders Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin give India the luxury of selecting five bowlers for each Test.That makes the choice of fast bowlers paramount. The good form and fitness of both Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj – the two most successful pace bowlers on the last Australian tour – is essential. Of those two, Bumrah is the attack leader.A critical part of India’s build-up to the Australian tour will be ensuring Bumrah is in form but remains fit to play the bulk of the five Tests. The difficulty of balancing this task was summed up perfectly by Australian pace hero Dennis Lillee on the 1972 tour of the UK. At the start of the long tour I suggested we might keep Lillee in cotton wool. He told me in very strong terms: “Like a batsman, I need to be in form. When I take a five-wicket haul, you can talk about putting me in cotton wool.”It was a lesson I learned from the big-hearted fast bowler and never forgot.It would be ideal if the mercurial Mohammed Shami is fit for Australia but the presence of a good left-arm paceman would also improve India’s variety in attack.The spin bowling is in good hands with Jadeja and Ashwin. Nevertheless I wouldn’t discount the importance of Kuldeep Yadav on some Australian surfaces.Of the young batters Yashasvi Jaiswal looks very talented but he needs to show good form in Australia. Both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli should act as guiding lights for the younger batters on tour.The batting needs to be good in Australia as India showed with their series wins on the last two visits. Batting aside, it will help India’s chances enormously if both Pant and Bumrah are performing at their best in Australia.