Also in the record books tonight: Chahar for a high, and Curran for a low

Sampath Bandarupalli21-Apr-2021171 – Runs scored by the Kolkata Knight Riders after the fall of the fifth wicket with the score on 31, the most by a team in an IPL match after losing five wickets. The Royal Challengers Bangalore held the previous record with 130 runs in 2016 against the Gujarat Lions, when they chased down 159 after being 29 for 5.The 171 runs by the Knight Riders is also the second-highest by any team in a T20 game after the fall of the fifth wicket. The highest is 184 by the Jamaica Tallawahs to chase down a target of 224 from being 41 for 5 against the Trinbago Knight Riders in CPL 2018 (courtesy 121* off 49 balls from one Andre Russell).ESPNcricinfo Ltd66* – Pat Cummins’ score while batting at No. 8 for the Knight Riders, the highest in IPL while batting at No. 8 or lower. Harbhajan Singh’s 64 against the Kings XI Punjab in 2015, also from No. 8, was the previous highest from such a batting position.0 – All-out totals higher than the 202 by the Knight Riders. The previous highest all-out total in the IPL was 188 by the Mumbai Indians way back in 2008, while chasing a 190-run target against the Kings XI Punjab.The Knight Riders are also just the second team in T20 history to register a 200-plus total after losing half their side inside 50 runs. The Jamaica Tallawahs, against the Trinbago Knight Riders in CPL 2018, recorded the first such instance.202 – The Knight Riders’ total is the highest by any team in T20 cricket with eight batters getting out in single digits. The previous highest with as many or more single-digit scores was 175 by Australia against Pakistan in the 2014 World T20. The Knight Riders’ total is also the first 200-plus total in T20s to include four ducks.ESPNcricinfo Ltd4 – Wickets for Deepak Chahar inside the first six overs in this match. He is the first player to take a four-wicket haul for the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL during the mandatory powerplay. The Super Kings took five wickets inside the first six overs, the first such instance for them in the IPL.Related

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58 – Runs conceded by Sam Curran in his four overs, the joint-most conceded by a Super Kings player in an IPL game. Mohit Sharma also conceded 58 runs against the Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2015. Curran’s third over cost 30 runs, the joint-most expensive over by a Super Kings bowler in the IPL. Lungi Ngidi also conceded 30 runs in the last year’s game against the Rajasthan Royals, where he conceded four consecutive sixes to Jofra Archer.0 – Instances of two individual fifties from Nos. 7 or lower in an IPL innings before today. The duo of Russell and Cummins produced just the second such instance in all T20 cricket. The first such occasion came during Jammu & Kashmir’s innings against Haryana in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2012-13.

Former Australia allrounder explains what the visitors need to do, to not only survive but also thrive in India

Alex Malcolm05-Feb-20232:11

India’s unparalleled home dominance

Australia’s batters are trying to cram for the India exam during a nearly week-long training camp in Bengaluru. The test of R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, and Axar Patel on a spinning surface likely awaits them in Nagpur.It’s an exam former Australia allrounder Shane Watson has faced before. One he freely admits he was challenged by. He went on four Test tours of India and scored a hundred in Mohali. That was in 2010 facing Harbhajan Singh and Pragyan Ojha as an opener at the peak of his powers.Ashwin and Jadeja in 2013, batting in the middle order on some rank turners, was an entirely different proposition. If Watson had his time again, he would think differently and play differently.Related

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“One thing I didn’t really do [in India] was just accept what I had at that moment in time, instead of trying to be someone else,” Watson told ESPNcricinfo. “I was thinking, ‘Should I use my feet this time to get out and cover the ball from spinning or should I sit deep in the crease’, instead of going, ‘Well this is what I’ve got right now, and this is the best way for me to try and have success.'”For me, it was going away from using cross-bat shots off the back foot in particular, which is one of my strengths outside of turning conditions.”Using a straight bat to be able to hit off the back foot through the off side or the leg side. I wish I had got that through my head and then developed that instinct earlier because it’s much lower risk. All the good players, especially from India, very rarely do they use cross-bat shots, especially for a pull shot. They’ll hit it with a straight bat to be able to hit it through the leg side.”Ravindra Jadeja has just returned from a long injury lay-off with a seven-wicket haul in the Ranji Trophy•PTI Jadeja looms large over Australia’s right-handers Watson fell to Jadeja’s left-arm spin in Delhi during the 2013 series, when Jadeja snared seven wickets in the match, and has played with him at Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings in the IPL. Watson believes Jadeja’s pace and unrelenting accuracy make him a huge threat to both edges in turning conditions.”Facing him when the ball is turning compared to when the ball is not turning is just chalk and cheese,” Watson said. “It’s like you’re facing a different bowler when the ball is turning because he’s flatter, he’s faster, he’s accurate all the time. He’s always at the stumps.”One will turn or one will skid through. He’s very hard to be able to work through as a right-hander, to find a method that’s going to not just survive but also score runs.Obviously Australia has got some really good players of spin in there with Steven Smith and Marnus Labuschagne. They’ve got a number of lefties as well which will negate Jadeja a bit more with the ball just turning in. If I had my time again, I would definitely play with a straighter bat to Jadeja.”Axar Patel has taken 39 wickets in six home Tests•BCCIAxar is a known unknown to Australia Axar has terrorised visiting Test teams in India with his variety of left-arm spin since bursting onto the scene against England in 2021. No Australian has faced him in Test cricket yet. Watson faced Axar in the IPL and found him a different proposition to Jadeja, yet equally uncomfortable.”Axar’s angle is what makes him really hard to line up,” Watson said. “I didn’t face him in Test cricket but I always found him really difficult to play even in T20 cricket because of his release point. He’s not low round arm, but he’s round arm and he bowls from quite wide on the crease, and with the angle that the ball comes in I was never able to really line it up. And then if the ball is turning it just seems like the ball is turning a lot more because of the angle.”It’s different to Jadeja because Jadeja is normally a bit closer to the stumps and he doesn’t create as much angle with the ball coming into the right-hander from his release point.”Axar is at the stumps all the time. It’s going to be pretty challenging. He’s a fair bit taller and his release point is still pretty high. But you don’t feel like his bounce is a threat as much because he does get balls to skid through.”The guys playing are going to have to get used to that angle and find a way to be able to line that up. Once the guys line it up they’ll be okay, but it can take a bit of time to work that out.”Ashwin’s amazing skill an ever-present challenge Australia will have at least four left-handers in the top seven. They could possibly play five if Cameron Green isn’t passed fit and Matt Renshaw retains his place at No.6 after returning to Test cricket in Australia’s previous match against South Africa in SydneyIn Watson’s experience, Ashwin’s skill level and control makes him dangerous against Australia’s right-handers as well, especially if there is bounce and sharp turn.R Ashwin has 50 wickets in eight Tests against Australia in India•AFP via Getty Images”It’s a bit easier as a right-hander but when the ball is turning and sort of jumping out of either the rough or the fresh part of the wicket, he’s relentless,” Watson said. “He hardly gives you a free ball to be able to score off.”He’s incredibly skilled. It’s not just getting the ball spinning with the occasional one that’s not going to turn. He’s got a lot of variations through his flight and pace that he still can land exactly where he wants. So even as a right-hander, when the ball’s not turning that much it’s a much easier challenge. I just batted on off stump and hit straight to the leg side knowing that unless one really explodes and I get caught at bat-pad, I’m not really exposed to that.”Whereas when the ball is turning, coming back into my stumps, it’s much more challenging to be able to try and cover that ball coming in when there’s plenty of guys around the bat.”Proactivity is the key Watson admits he didn’t need to be that proactive during his Mohali century because of the quality of the surface.”It was a really nice wicket,” Watson said. “The ball didn’t really turn much. I was facing a lot of Harbhajan Singh in that innings and I was able to be really patient. It was quite a slow hundred. At that moment in time, I wasn’t being proactive against spin, I was just waiting for a loose ball.”It makes it easier when it’s a truer wicket. Whereas the other times I’ve been in India, even in the first session there’s been times where the ball has spun out of the fresh part of the wicket, which makes more opportunities for the bowler to get you out. But it’s also harder to just try and be patient and wait for a loose ball because you’re really just a sitting duck waiting for them to get you out.”While Watson is an advocate for Australia’s batters to find their own method and stick to it, he believes the blueprint is there from the way some of his team-mates played on past tours to India.”The guys who have done it the best are the ones who are either really quick on their feet and get down and cover the spin, and or they’re really good at just getting back and allowing the ball to spin and then playing the ball,” Watson said.”I think of Damien Martyn who did incredibly well in that 2004 series, especially in Chennai where he played back and allowed the ball to spin. I think about Matt Hayden’s transformation as a player of spin where he’d either sweep or as soon as the ball was slightly flighted he would use his feet and hit dead straight. Michael Clarke was a great player of spin. His ability to be able to use his feet to get out when the ball was slightly flighted, then when it wasn’t to get back deep in his crease to let the ball spin, those are the guys who had the most success when the ball was turning quite extreme.”They’ve got a good method but they are proactive to be able to get off strike, get down the other end, but also put pressure on the bowler.”But being proactive all the time, every ball in Test matches, it takes a lot out of you physically but especially mentally because you’ve got to be really sharp all the time.”

L Balaji and Varun Chakravarthy talk about bouncing back from Covid-19

Nagraj Gollapudi and Shashank Kishore 22-May-2021

Lakshmipathi Balaji – ‘Was I scared? I was worried’

As I was isolating on my own having tested positive for Covid-19, a thought crossed my mind: recovering from Covid-19, both physically and mentally, is like experiencing an episode of Man vs Wild.On May 2, I was feeling a bit of uneasiness. I had body ache and a mild nose block. I was tested the same day around mid-afternoon. By May 3 morning, I had tested positive. I was shocked. I had done nothing to breach the norms to endanger my and rest of the bubble’s safety.We had reached Delhi around April 26 from Mumbai. We were tested the next day followed by a match on April 28. The next day we had another test. On May 1, we played another match against Mumbai Indians. So I was confident that my immune system was strong enough and resistant to the coronavirus.Along with me, after the May 2 testing, two others including Kasi Viswanathan (Super Kings’ CEO) and a helping staff member had also tested positive. To ensure it was a false positive, we were tested again the same day. I tested positive for the second time. Promptly, I was moved to another floor at the team hotel, separate from the rest of the Super Kings squad.Was I scared? Initially I could not express my feelings. I knew people were dying outside. It took me another 24 hours to sink in the seriousness of issue once family and friends started to message. I started to get worried. From the second day in isolation I realised I had to monitor myself, recording all the health data. I was obviously anxious.I was also more worried about the others in my team who I was milling around with before I tested positive. Rajeev Kumar (CSK fielding coach), Robin [Uthappa] [Cheteshwar] Pujara, Deepak [Chahar] along with Kasi Sir were all around me. So my conscience was battling with the difficult question of what if any of these people tested positive, too? I was praying for their health.Then I came to know that Michael Hussey (Super Kings’ assistant coach), too, had tested positive. Till day we don’t know how or where we contracted the coronavirus. We had a very strict protocol within the bubble from first week of March when CSK’s preparatory camp started. After the experience in 2020 IPL when members of the CSK contingent tested positive, the franchise took maximum precautions even when we travelled from Chennai and Mumbai where we were based for the first leg of our IPL.Even in Delhi we followed the strict protocol. I don’t know where we might have caught the infection: was it at the ground? Was it at the training ground at the Roshanara Club? But that was secluded. And why should only two of us get it?With the situation very bad in Delhi which was in the firm grip of the pandemic, the CSK management was pro-active and flew both Hussey and myself in an air ambulance on May 6 to Chennai where we had round-the-clock medical care. It was a crucial and timely step. We were transported into the air ambulance wrapped separate oxygen pods. The pod itself takes a good few hours to build. The pod is like a transparent tunnel where you are enclosed. That is the safest way and the only way to fly a Covid-19 patient.Once in Chennai the anxiety that had gripped us in Delhi had been replaced by confidence. Mentally we became positive. I started to constantly exchanging messages with Hussey and we realised that many were dire situation outside. We were fortunate to be under better care. Eventually after spending about close to 12 days I returned home in Chennai on May 14.It is a journey of survival is how I look at it. Lakhs of people have been affected, and most of them recovered, but many were not lucky to survive due to different reasons. It has been an intense situation. In my career I have encountered several challenges, but it is different battle we are going through dealing with the pandemic.I realise now how lucky I was and that was because of the timely help of my franchise. It was huge effort to move get exemptions, clearances to shift us from Delhi to Chennai. But there are people out there who are waiting for hours and days on end to get help. We have to put in all our efforts to reach out and help out. Lives are at stake.Varun Chakravarthy has been struck down by post-covid symptoms•BCCIVarun Chakravarthy – ‘Still have weakness and dizziness’

Spin-dominant Afghanistan pose significant threat, but confidence is soaring for England kids

Sreshth Shah31-Jan-2022The current England Under-19 players were not even born the last time their team lifted the trophy. Three from the squad of 1998 – Owais Shah, Rob Key and Graeme Swann – have gone on have illustrious careers in the game. The last of them had retired by 2016, and now all of them are established names in coaching or broadcasting. That’s how long it’s been.Now, 24 years later, England find themselves two wins away from the summit once more, thus far unchallenged. The Bangladesh encounter, their first game of the competition against the defending champions, was meant to push them to their limit. England bowled the opponents out for 97. Canada were downed by 106 runs, United Arab Emirates beaten by 189, and the path to the knockouts couldn’t have been smoother.South Africa was supposed to be tricky, but England laid down a marker by not only chasing 212 comfortably, but doing so in a manner – inside 31.2 overs – that sent a signal to every other semi-finalist – England mean business.Related

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The man doing the leading, not only on the field but also with the bat, is Tom Prest. Prest is a right-handed, middle-order batter who possesses strong arms and a clean bat swing. When he hits them, they stay hit. Ask UAE, against whom he hammered an unbeaten 154 in 119 balls. Or Canada, against whom he scored 93.And he’s already shown an aptitude for the big occasion. In his very first knockout game for Hampshire, the T20 Blast quarter-final against Nottinghamshire last August, Prest’s 44 from 34 balls dragged them to a winning first-innings total, and ultimately into Finals Day, after D’Arcy Short and James Vince had both failed before him. Prior to that, in only his third first-team appearance for the club, against Gloucestershire in July, he smacked a match-winning 59 not out from 42 balls.He’s a man of many talents too. He grew up enjoying Coventry City’s football and Rafael Nadal’s forehand, and so football and tennis competed with cricket for Prest’s attention. Hockey was another favourite, and as it did for Tom Banton and Eoin Morgan, the sport also helped him develop a love for the sweep and reverse-sweep.But hockey is not the only reason why Prest likes innovative shots. His batting is inspired by Kevin Pietersen, who always had the knack of dazzling impressionable young minds with the shots he brought out. Growing up, Prest copied Pietersen’s switch-hit as a kid and even worked on the flamingo, back leg up while flicking through the leg side. However, as a captain, it is Morgan who is his role model.”Morgan is pretty calm under pressure,” Prest tells ESPNcricinfo. “I am probably not the loudest member of the team, but kind of a quiet leader. Not someone like Virat Kohli who is very passionate on the pitch. I try to think about things logically and stay calm in the key moments of the game.”What [Morgan’s] done with bowling changes, like using Adil Rashid at the end, it’s not something teams have done before. It’s considered unorthodox, but he does whatever is needed on the pitch, he thinks quickly and clearly under pressure. From the outside, it looks like he does it very well.”

“Tom is a very modest guy, and fits in with the group. He hasn’t been seen as a prodigy, instead he’s seen as a good young cricketer who has come through the system. Whenever he steps up a level, he seems to do that in a seamless way and looks comfortable”Hampshire director of cricket Giles White

And England’s Under-19 team – who were just entering their impressionable teenage years when Morgan’s men began the revolution that would lead to glory at the 2019 ODI World Cup – possesses many of the same attributes too. The top order thrives on quick runs, scores of 362 and 320 being proof of that. Barbados-born Jacob Bethell played the quarter-final without worrying about the implications of a knockout fixture while smacking 82 in 44 balls against South Africa, and Prest has brought in the fireworks himself, averaging 91.66 at a strike rate of 105. William Luxton delivers the Jos Buttler-style death-overs assault, and five other batters have 100-plus strike rates. Batting is their strength, and Prest has adapted to difficult West Indian batting conditions to score 275 runs in four innings.”The pitches are obviously quite different to England,” Prest says. “Quite spin-friendly and tricky in the opening period. New-ball spin bowlers are tricky too, because some balls skid and some spin. The 9am start can be tricky batting first, since the ball obviously does a bit.”But I am probably quite attacking. I like playing my shots. But with that, I like batting for long periods of time as well. I sometimes take my time to get in, but I like to score quickly after that. Watching T20 cricket and the Hundred last summer has reinforced the fact that scoring quickly… everyone loves watching it really. Good entertainment.”But England are far from being a one-dimensional side. Batting alone cannot inspire a team to win a championship. England have also taken ten wickets in every game thus far.In left-arm seamer Joshua Boyden, there’s a swing bowler who gets the ball moving into the right-handers. Rehan Ahmed is a leggie who can give the ball a rip. James Sales is a new-ball enforcer. Fateh Singh is a Ravindra Jadeja-style left-arm spinner. As a combination, the bowling attack has sparkled. In particular, they have adapted to what the Caribbean surfaces are offering, and haven’t been afraid to lean heavily on their spinners, with Prest himself bowling a mean offbreak too.So the team is well-rounded, the players are in form. But does the captain have the temperament to see the side through the high-octane moments that lie ahead? Hampshire’s director of cricket Giles White sums up Prest’s credentials.Tom Prest: “I sometimes take my time to get in, but I like to score quickly after that”•ICC via Getty”Sometimes in England, when you’re a young player like Prest that’s got a lot of talent, you tend to play above yourself [in age groups] and there are captains in place so you can’t lead much yourself,” White says. “But Prest is good with his peers and has a good feel for the game. The England U-19s have toured Sri Lanka before, so they have practice on surfaces that turn.”Tom is a very modest guy, and fits in with the group. He hasn’t been seen as a prodigy, instead he’s seen as a good young cricketer who has come through the system. Whenever he steps up a level, he seems to do that in a seamless way and looks comfortable.”Despite not winning a World Cup in over two decades and not even making it out of the group stage in the last edition, Prest’s Under-19 England team is aiming for the stars. However, he’s aware there are some factors, particularly at this late stage of the competition, that are not in one’s control.”We’ve all come with the intention of winning the whole competition,” he says. “Without a doubt. To play those three group games and win every one convincingly, it’s given us a lot of confidence. But from here, we can only take it game by game from here, since we haven’t played the other opponents.”Standing in England’s way for a final spot, though, lies their biggest challenge yet – Afghanistan. They have the most revered spin combination of the competition, with two bowlers already on the radar for IPL teams. Against Bangladesh, chasing 98 meant that England were not really put under the pump by a good spin-bowling unit, and the other teams so far have not offered much to dent the confidence of England’s batters. Will the lack of a prior spin challenge, or the lack of pressure in their previous fixtures, come back to bite England?That is the big unknown when they step out at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium on Tuesday. A 100-over match, against a team that is high on morale after winning an epic quarter-final against Sri Lanka, could very well send them out of contention.If it does, however, it will be an anti-climactic end for a team that’s been one of two countries to have a 100% win record so far. That’s been the impact England have had on the 2022 U-19 World Cup, and for that alone, it has been a memorable campaign under Prest’s captaincy.

The Bengal and India A batter, who recently missed out on being picked for the national side again, is looking to accentuate the positive

Interview by Shashank Kishore06-Jul-2023Abhimanyu Easwaran has been on the fringes of the Indian team for three seasons now. His India A numbers are mighty impressive: an average of 47.27 across 34 innings as an opener, with six centuries and a best of 233.Barring one season, the 2019-20 Ranji Trophy, where he made just 258 runs in 17 innings, Easwaran has also been a prolific run-getter for Bengal. Yet, when the India squad was announced for the West Indies tour, which marks the beginning of the new WTC cycle for the team, Easwaran found Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad had leapfrogged him.Easwaran has taken the latest setback in his stride as he gets ready for the new domestic season. In Bengaluru, having finished playing for East Zone in the season-opening Duleep Trophy, he spoke at length about channelling his disappointments, how preparation matters, dealing with perceptions of being a one-format batter, and his fitness work, among other things.Related

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It must be disappointing to miss selection for the West Indies series. How do you channel it?
It’s all about that dream I had as a kid. Whenever things don’t go my way, I just think about why I started playing the game. Because I enjoy it and want to play for the country. Small things like not getting runs in a game won’t change the work I’ve put in for the past 15 years. Or if I don’t get picked in a squad, it won’t affect my passion or the hard work I’m going to put in going forward. The dream will always be to play for the country and win games. That drives me. No matter what happens, I ensure I wake up every day and do what I should to improve as a cricketer.How big is preparation for you?
Preparation is the key. I feel if I’m well prepared, I go into a game confidently. I try and ensure that I prepare according to conditions. Before the Duleep Trophy, I arrived in Bangalore early and trained at Just Cricket Academy for ten days on similar wickets to the one I was to play on here. I feel if I’ve prepared according to the conditions, it gives me the best chance to perform in any tournament.How have you gone about putting your preparatory process in place?
I’ve been working with Apurva Desai [currently batting consultant at the National Cricket Academy] for ten years now. His input has been massive in trying to help me adapt to different venues and conditions.Easwaran made a hundred in the first innings of the first unofficial Test against South Africa A in Bloemfontein in November 2021, against an attack that included Marco Jansen, Beuran Hendricks and Lutho Sipamla•Cricket South AfricaIf we’re playing at Eden Gardens, what are the kind of plans I should go with? What are the options I can give myself as a batter? We work on game plans, tactics, different shots and technical tweaks. We discuss the kind of preparation needed for every tour. Prior to the India A tour to South Africa in 2021, I trained on Astroturf because the ball zips through there. I trained with synthetic balls, just to get the hands high, because I would be facing extra bounce. We discuss everything in cricket. If I go into the ground, I want to be the best-prepared player. I may not be the best player in terms of runs in the match, but can I be the best-prepared? I always ask myself this.When you were coming up the ranks, did you always want to be a “pure Test-match type batter”?
No, that’s just a perception. I wanted to play all formats.There’s also a perception that you need IPL runs to go with domestic performances.
I’ve always wanted to be an all-format batter. I played T20s pretty late for Bengal, but I’ve constantly worked on that side of the game. In the off season I worked on a few shots, which hopefully will come off well this season.It’s not that I just love one format. Yes, Test cricket will always be special but it’s also the most challenging. But in terms of my game, I am constantly working on my T20 game. I wish to play IPL soon – it’s another dream, to play in the biggest league.You had a chance to trial with Delhi Capitals mid-season. How was it like?
I wasn’t expecting it, honestly. If you don’t get picked at the auction, you don’t think there’s a chance. Their fast bowler, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, got injured. You’d think they’d replace him with another fast bowler. But since their batting wasn’t going too well, they probably felt like strengthening that department. It was good to be part of the set-up, even if it was just for a few days. Just to see how people go about things – like, how David Warner prepares. They weren’t winning a lot of games at that point, but you could see guys wanted to put their hands up and win games.Within touching distance: Easwaran with India coach Rahul Dravid at a net session during the Bangladesh tour•AFP via Getty ImagesDid you get a chance to interact with Ricky Ponting, the Capitals head coach?
I didn’t get a lot of time to talk to him because he was busy with the entire group. But he was behind the nets, watching us bat, and would appreciate a good shot. He watched me and Priyam Garg [who was also called up] closely. I didn’t get really get a chance to speak about my batting or my game, but in the huddle, he welcomed us. It was nice.Does it bother you that you don’t get picked in the IPL?
I won’t say it bothers me. I still have a fair chance to be picked. It’s not like this is the last year I’m going to play. I’m just 27, I have enough time. If I get runs in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Deodhar or Vijay Hazare Trophy, that gives me a good chance. Again, it comes back to preparation and going into the game giving myself the best chance. That’s what I am focusing on.You’ve spent nearly a decade as a first-class cricketer. Is there a phase you look back fondly?
Yes, there have been a few but the one that stands out is from the 2019-20 season. I was made Bengal captain that year for the first time. I’d scored 861 runs in six matches [11 innings] the previous year. I then got a double-hundred for India A, I got a hundred in the Duleep Trophy final. So I was on a high, but I couldn’t buy a run the next season. I made 258 runs in ten games, but we were in the final. On the one hand, here’s my team doing well and making the final, on the other, I wasn’t able to contribute. Not being able to win the title was more disappointing, but to come back from that and get runs, bat the way I do, was special. That phase was challenging.When you’ve been so near yet so far for three years, it must hurt from within. Does it?
It sure does. But given the population we have, there are very few people who are this close to being picked for the Indian team. So I’m taking it in a positive way, that I’ve got to a place not many can. That gives me confidence. If I can keep putting in the work I’ve done, I’m still pretty close, I could get picked soon.There have been a few times when you came close to getting the India cap. When do you think you came closest?
I got twin hundreds for India A in Bangladesh last December, just prior to the Tests. I did well on the India A tour of South Africa in 2021.Easwaran with Priyank Panchal, whom he opened with and who captained Easwaran’s side, India Red, in the 2019 Duleep Trophy final•Saurabh Somani/ESPNcricinfoBut I think I was closest probably in 2021 in England. I was the reserve opener, and we had a tour game prior to the first Test. Not playing in that tour game because I was a close contact of one of the support staff who had Covid meant I had to quarantine for ten days. I lost that chance in that practice game before the first Test. Mayank Agarwal was concussed before that first Test. Maybe had I played and got runs, I would have earned the cap. All that time spent instead quarantining and isolating even though I didn’t have Covid was really tough.You spoke of on-field preparation. What about off-field preparation?
It’s as important as what you do on the field. You can’t eat what you like and say, “I’ll make up for it.” There’s a balance to maintain. Around 2015-16, I discovered I wasn’t feeling too well after breaks. There was a pattern where I used to get out soon after lunch or tea breaks. I found I wasn’t so switched on, even though I’d be batting on 50 or 70. I had a chat with a friend who told me about a genetic medical test. That told me I was gluten-intolerant. From that day to now, I have only had gluten probably twice or thrice a year. That’s after a tournament finishes and I have a break for more than a week, because I can afford that – I won’t be training the next day. That involves , soya. I gave up soft drinks ten years ago. I felt the dream is bigger than this. If I don’t have Coke, it doesn’t matter.How has fitness transformed your outlook to cricket?
During Covid, I felt there was something I needed to work on, because the seasons were getting longer. I was playing all formats and also for India A, so I didn’t have breaks. Usually during the off season, you get a couple of months off, but I wasn’t getting that because of India A commitments. I realised the need to get stronger.I had a lot of things in mind: Do I have the fitness to last an entire Ranji season, if we reach the final? Do I have the fitness to push beyond a double-century? Can I be fresh on day five of a match? That was the time I started working on fitness with Soham Desai [current India trainer]. Since then, I’ve been able to feel that change. Last year also, after fielding for around 155 overs against New Zealand A, I was batting probably the best I had in the last three years. My feet were moving well, so well that I was enjoying it a lot, and I wasn’t feeling too tired. I could feel the difference and that made me enjoy what I was doing.You may have not played a Test, but you probably have some fond memories of travelling with the team?
Without a doubt. It’s an honour to wear that jersey. I still remember when I received the team kit before that England tour in 2021, I just didn’t want to take it off all day. I cherish the chats I’ve had with Virat Kohli on preparation and Cheteshwar Pujara on single-mindedness. Being a part of the Test squad that won at Lord’s was a special memory. There was so much passion, so much fire. Shami, Siraj, Bumrah with their tails up… bundling them out inside 60 overs, it was amazing. I think those are situations you train and play for. It was great to be part of a side that won in England. You want to win overseas, at home, everywhere. It’s something every cricketer dreams of. Hopefully I’ll have that chance soon.

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ESPNcricinfo staff01-Mar-2019Well into a World Cup year, and missing a number of their senior members, Australia have sent a different-looking squad to face India on their home turf. A number of them have made their name in the Big Bash League, and are staking their claims for World Cup berths. There’s a John Cena doppelganger, Aussie Rules footballers, a tennis champion, and a late bloomer who’s making it big in the shorter formats. How well do you know them? Take our quiz and find out.