All posts tagged: ExAustralia

“May Have Been Frustrated”: Ex-Australia Star Speculates Motivation Behind R Ashwin’s Retirement

“May Have Been Frustrated”: Ex-Australia Star Speculates Motivation Behind R Ashwin’s Retirement

Published by Webster

File image of Ravichandran Ashwin.© BCCI Former Australia cricketers Brett Lee and Brad Haddin speculated about the reasons that led to legendary India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin‘s sudden retirement midway through the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024/25. Ashwin announced his retirement from all forms of international cricket upon the conclusion of the third Test, with two Tests still remaining in the series. Lee and Haddin speculated that Ashwin may have already been communicated about his future in the side, and that he may have been frustrated with the constant uncertainty regarding his place. “I think the last time a spinner retired through a series (in Australia) was Graeme Swann (when England were 0-3 down in the 2013/14 Ashes). He (Ashwin) may have been told that he’s not going to play any further part in this series, and rightly so, just decided to go out on his own terms,” said former pacer Lee, speaking on Fox cricket. Haddin suggested that there may have been some frustration that motivated Ashwin to announce retirement in such an abrupt manner. …

“Find A Slot Somewhere…”: Ex-Australia Captain On Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul’s Batting Role

“Find A Slot Somewhere…”: Ex-Australia Captain On Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul’s Batting Role

Published by Webster

Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting believes India skipper Rohit Sharma must return to his usual opening position for the third Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test against Australia, starting in Brisbane on December 14. For the second Test at the Adelaide Oval, Rohit chose to bat at number six in order to not disturb the Yashasvi Jaiswal-KL Rahul pairing, who shared a 201-run opening stand paving the way for India’s 295-run win in Perth. But Rohit could only make nine runs in two innings as a number six batter in India’s ten-wicket defeat to Australia at the Adelaide Oval, as the Pat Cummins-led side squared the five-match series and make the scoreline 1-1. “I felt that if (Rohit) Sharma was coming back into the side, he should have gone straight back up to the top and opened the batting. That’s how I felt about it. And I know that KL and Jaiswal had a 200-run partnership in Perth and they had played well, but he’s (Rohit) your captain.” “He’s one of your most experienced players. You …

“Just A Magician With The Pink Ball”: Ex-Australia Star’s Ultimate Praise For Mitchell Starc

“Just A Magician With The Pink Ball”: Ex-Australia Star’s Ultimate Praise For Mitchell Starc

Published by Webster

Mitchell Starc’s rampant bowling on the first day of the second Test saw Australia crash through the Indian batting line-up at the Adelaide Oval on Friday. His brilliant bowling effort prompted former Australia opening batter Matthew Hayden to label the left-arm pacer as a ‘magician with the pink ball’. “He has that scrambled seam delivery that goes across the right-hander, but when he does have that ability-which he did-I must admit I was a little surprised. I’ve never really seen the pink ball swing into the sort of 40th over and so aggressively swing as well. By that stage, he used a really important word, and it’s a bit of an underrated word as well, and that’s momentum,” Hayden told Star Sports at the end of the day’s play in Adelaide. “It was all in favour of India. A difficult position to come back from in life and sport is those opportunities to wrestle back momentum, and Mitchell Starc did that in only the way he can-when the lights are like the way …

Sunil Gavaskar Tried To “Distract, Disrupt, Annoy”: Ex-Australia Star Angry Over Josh Hazlewood Comments

Sunil Gavaskar Tried To “Distract, Disrupt, Annoy”: Ex-Australia Star Angry Over Josh Hazlewood Comments

Published by Webster

File photo of Sunil Gavaskar and Josh Hazlewood© AFP After India defeat Australia comprehensively in  the first match of the Border Gavaskar Trophy in Pert, Pacer Josh Hazlewood made an interesting comment. When asked what the hosts could do to make a comeback in the five-match series, Hazlewood said: “You probably have to ask one of the batters that question… I’m probably looking mostly towards the next Test.” The comment was picked up by several former cricketers, who wondered if there was a divide in the Australia dressing room.  “I wonder if there’s a divide in Andrew McDonald‘s team between the batters and bowlers,” Gilchrist said on Fox Sports.  Former India captain Sunil Gavsakar used the comment and wrote in a column for Sportstar about panic in Australian team. “The panic in the Australian ranks is palpable, with former players calling for heads to be chopped off and some even hinting at cracks in the Australian team after Josh Hazlewood’s media interview at the end of the third day’s play, where he suggested …

“Sachin Tendulkar Wasn’t A Big Name”: Ex-Australia Cricketer-Turned-Lawyer Who Got Him Out In 1991/92 PM’s XI Game

“Sachin Tendulkar Wasn’t A Big Name”: Ex-Australia Cricketer-Turned-Lawyer Who Got Him Out In 1991/92 PM’s XI Game

Published by Webster

Arguably the greatest batsman of all time, Sachin Tendulkar amassed nearly 16,000 Test runs in a glittering career. Tendulkar is also the highest scorer among Indian batters in Australia. However, when an 18-year old Sachin Tendulkar toured Australia in the summer of 1991/92, he wasn’t so popular. On the eve of India’s warm-up match against the Prime Minister’s XI, Greg Rowell, an Australian lawyer who used to be a first-class cricketer, has narrated a heartwarming story of how he got Tendulkar out in the same game 23 years ago. Rowell had dismissed not only Tendulkar, but also Ravi Shastri in the ‘Prime Minister’s XI vs India’ game in 1991. The latter was a renowned all-rounder at that time. A fast bowler, Rowell ended the game with stunning figures of 7/27. “Sachin Tendulkar wasn’t such a big name then; Ravi Shastri was,” said Rowell, in a conversation with The Indian Express. “Oh, by the end of the series though, I would know who Tendulkar really was,” Rowell added. That was because Tendulkar had made …

“He’s Completely…”: Joe Root Responds To ‘Not All-Time Great’ Comment By Ex-Australia Coach

“He’s Completely…”: Joe Root Responds To ‘Not All-Time Great’ Comment By Ex-Australia Coach

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File image of Joe Root.© AFP England batter Joe Root has hit back at comments made by former Australia cricketer and coach Darren Lehmann. The latter had earlier come out and stated that he doesn’t consider Root to be an “all-time great”, as he had not scored a century in Australia, against England’s biggest rivals. Root – who is England’s highest run-scorer in Test history – has now swiftly responded to Lehmann’s remarks. Root is set to play for England in three Tests against New Zealand away from home. “My job is to score runs, right? To turn up every game and try to do all I can out in the middle. His job is to give his opinion and talk on the radio,” said Root to BBC Sport. “I’ll do my job and he can do his job. He’s completely entitled to say what he wants. That’s his right. I have not spoken to him in a while,” Root further added. Root currently boasts 12,754 Test runs in 149 Test matches, going …

“Not Fit For…”: Another Ex-Australia Captain Takes ‘Prickly’ Dig At India Coach Gautam Gambhir

“Not Fit For…”: Another Ex-Australia Captain Takes ‘Prickly’ Dig At India Coach Gautam Gambhir

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Gautam Gambhir’s “prickly” coaching style may not bode well for the Indian team, and it could be a “long summer” if they fail to start strong in the Perth Test on November 22, warns former Australian captain Tim Paine. Jolted by an unprecedented 0-3 home series loss to New Zealand, the Gambhir-coached side now face the daunting task of defending the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in a five-match series against Australia, starting with the Perth Test. “Their last two series wins out here they had Ravi Shastri who was fantastic. He created a great environment, the players were energised, they played with passion, he sold them the dream and motivated them in a really light-hearted enjoyable way,” Paine said on SEN Radio. “They (India) have gone to a new coach now that is really prickly, really competitive — and that not to say that’s not a good thing and a good way to coach — but my concern is that it’s not a great fit for the Indian cricket team. “If your coach is the …

‘Suspensions, Fines’: Ex-Australia Star Teases ‘Backstory’ Of Gautam Gambhir-Ricky Ponting Row

‘Suspensions, Fines’: Ex-Australia Star Teases ‘Backstory’ Of Gautam Gambhir-Ricky Ponting Row

Published by Webster

Amid the ongoing feud between India head coach Gautam Gambhir and former Australia skipper Ricky Ponting, ex-cricketer Brad Haddin has revealed the reason behind the war of words between the two. It all kicked off after Gambhir replied to Ponting over his comments on star India batter Virat Kohli‘s concerning form ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Gambhir asked him to concentrate on Australian cricket instead, before the legendary batter fired a sharp retort, calling the India coach a prickly character. Gambhir played under Ponting at Delhi Capitals in 2018, which turned out to be his final season in the Indian Premier League (IPL) as a player. He only played half of the games that season, with Shreyas Iyer leadng the side for the remaining matches. However, Haddin teased to lift the lid on the backstory between the two, which he reveal in the coming days. “Gambhir is a character that would use this as an us versus them mentality. And you expect your coach to stick up for the players. His reaction was …

“It Will Be Retirement…”: Ex-Australia Skipper’s Explosive Take On Rohit Sharma-Virat Kohli

“It Will Be Retirement…”: Ex-Australia Skipper’s Explosive Take On Rohit Sharma-Virat Kohli

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Former Australian cricketer Michael Clarke expressed that if star India batters Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli fail to perform during the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy, they could retire from the format. With the first Test set to take place at Perth from November 22 onwards, two Indian veterans will be looking at a make-or-break BGT series after a horrific home season against Bangladesh and New Zealand. Speaking at ESPN’s Around the Wicket podcast, Clarke said, “If it is their last time here in Australia, I think it will be retirement. They would not be dropped, but in the same breath, I think every cricketer knows that if you are not making runs or taking wickets, there will be conversations around that kind of a thing.” “Being the captain of the team, you get a slack for that, and if you are the world’s best batter for the last 10 years – maybe longer – across formats, I think Virat may get a bit more slack than somebody else.” “I hope for this series’ sake, …

“I’d Be Staggered If He Doesn’t Play”: Ex-Australia Skipper’s Bold Remark On 3-Test India Star

“I’d Be Staggered If He Doesn’t Play”: Ex-Australia Skipper’s Bold Remark On 3-Test India Star

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Former Australia skipper Tim Paine has backed young wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel and believes that the latter could be very useful to the Indian side in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia. Jurel has only played three matches and was mainly included in India’s touring party for the five-match Test series in Australia as a backup for regular keeper Rishabh Pant, the 23-year-old impressed during a recent match for India A against Australia A in Melbourne. Jurel caught the eye of Paine when he looked composed contributing scores of 80 and 68 batting at No.6 in the low-scoring MCG contest and the former Australia captain – who coached Australia A in the match – thinks the right-hander will play as a specialist batter in the opening Test of the summer in Perth. “I don’t know if you saw much of the highlights, but after seeing him bat (against Australia A) – even though he’s a wicket-keeper, from what I’ve seen on this tour and from India’s batting in the last couple of months, I’d …