India pick Umesh Yadav for last 2 England Tests
Paceman to undergo a fitness assessment before joining the squad led by Kohli
NEW DELHI: India on Wednesday brought in fast bowler Umesh Yadav for the last two Tests against England to be played at the world’s biggest cricket stadium in the western city of Ahmedabad.
Yadav, 33, will undergo a fitness assessment before joining the squad led by Virat Kohli, the Board of Control for Cricket in India said in a news release.
The paceman is making a comeback after recovering from a calf injury he picked up during the Boxing Day Test against Australia.
He replaces Shardul Thakur who has been released to play for Mumbai in the domestic 50-over Vijay Hazare Trophy.
The revamped Sardar Patel stadium, which can seat 110,000 spectators, will be allowed to host 50 percent of its capacity for the third Test keeping coronavirus restrictions in mind, the Times of India reported Wednesday. The third Test will be a daynight affair and will be played with the pink ball.
India thrashed England by 317 runs on Tuesday to level the four-Test series 1-1 after losing the opener by 227 runs.
The Tests will be followed by five Twenty20 matches and three one-day internationals.
Ahmedabad will remain host for the T20 games, while Pune will host the ODIs.
Meanwhile. opener Rohit Sharma and all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin have made
notable gains in the ICC Test Player Rankings after playing defining roles in a massive 317run victory over England in the second Test. Rohit’s first innings score of 161, which set the platform for a win that kept India in contention for the ICC World Test Championship final, has helped him gain nine places to reach 14th position, his best since November 2019. The Mumbai batsman’s career-best position was attained in October 2019, when he was ranked 10th after notching a double century against South Africa in Ranchi.
Ashwin’s second-innings century at his home ground in Chennai has lifted him 14 places to
81st in the list of batsmen, and while he remains seventh among bowlers after grabbing eight wickets in the match, he has gained 33 rating points to reach within three points of sixthranked Stuart Broad and to within 21 of second-ranked Neil Wagner. In the all-rounders’ rankings, Ashwin has reached fifth place while Ravindra Jadeja has gained a place to reach the second spot. Wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant’s 58 not out in the first innings has helped him continue his upward movement and he is now at a career-best 11th position.
Left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav returns in 50th position
while left-arm spinner Axar Patel has entered the rankings in 68th place after an impressive debut that saw him take seven wickets including a five-wicket haul in the second innings.
For England, left-arm spinner Jack Leach has gained six places to reach 31st position at a careerbest 524 points after grabbing six wickets in the match even as several of his team-mates have slipped down the rankings including star all-rounder Ben Stokes, who has lost his top position among all-rounders.
The West Indies, who pulled off a thrilling 17-run victory over Bangladesh in Dhaka to wrap up the two-Test series 2-0, have
much to rejoice about in terms of players’ rankings. Nkrumah Bonner is in 63rd position, scores of 90 and 38 in Dhaka helping him advance six places since his debut in the previous Test, while off-spinner Rahkeem Cornwall’s nine wickets in the match have helped him get into the top 50 for the first time. Squad: Virat Kohli (capt), Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane (vicecapt), KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant, Wriddhiman Saha, R Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Md Siraj, Umesh Yadav.
Everyone is riding the digital wave these days — including actors from film and television — and Akanksha Puri, too, is all set to make the most of the rise of OTT. The actor, who was part of the TV show Vighnaharta Ganesh, will be seen in the Randeep Hoodastarrer web series, Inspector Avinash.
Talking about the project, which is inspired by the life of police officer Avinash Mishra, she couldn’t hold back on her excitement over working with Hooda. “It was an incredible experience. And what an honour, too, to work with such a versatile and talented actor!
I’ve been looking up to his performances. I’m grateful to have gotten to share the screen with him! It’s like a dream come true. I am privileged that he’s my co-star in my first series,” says Puri.
The shooting for the series is almost over, and the actor says she couldn’t have asked for a better start to her stint on the web. “I can’t wait for my fans to watch me in this web series, as the role is not only far different from what they have witnessed but it’s far more exciting too,” shares the 32-year-old, adding, “It’s exactly what I was looking for. More than the series, I am very happy and excited about my character. It is a performance-oriented role and the team was very particular about every little detail. They tested many actors for this role. Even after selection, several looks were tried on me... As the part is inspired from a real-life character, they didn’t want to go wrong with anything.”
Lauding digital platforms, Puri says she is rather lucky to get an opportunity to work on OTT, unlike actors in the past. “This has opened up opportunities for actors. After working on OTT, I’ve realised how they work, prepare every small detail... This definitely helps us showcase our skills. People take you more seriously as an artiste because you aren’t there just to add some glamour... Script is the hero, it can’t revolve around one actor,” she explains.
OTT has opened up opportunities for actors. After working on OTT, I’ve realised how they work, prepare every small detail... This definitely helps us showcase our skills. AKANKSHA PURI, Actor
From a young beauty queen, to a leading Bollywood heroine and now a global icon, Priyanka Chopra Jonas has been making all the right noises. But she admits while life has not been that smooth a ride, she has always endeavoured to come out stronger.
“You have to keep moving forward, I believe. Life will constantly throw curveballs, you just have to face it head on. Sh*t happens, learn from it and find a way to move ahead because time doesn’t wait for anyone. You don’t want to wake up years later with regret. Accept that there will be periods in your life when you will fail, or things don’t go your way. It’s what you do after that… that will determine your journey,” shares Jonas, who has chronicled her life story in her recent memoir, Unfinished, which became a bestseller in the US, UK and India upon its release.
Talking about whether it is emotionally unnerving and a big ask to tell all, she replies, “Yes, it was, because at the core of it all, I am an intensely private person.”
But the 38-year-old, who is married to American singeractor Nick Jonas, says that as someone who lives her life in the limelight, “I accept that everything I do is public, but I have always tried to retain a part of my life and keep it away from the world. So opening up and sharing my deepest feelings, emotions and memories was unnerving but something I thought was time to do… on my own terms.”
The actor-producer says it was great to take a trip down memory lane for the book. “It’s been one hell of a ride! Today, I can say that I’m proud of the person I’ve evolved into. I dealt with a lot, and I came out thriving. I want little girls around the world to think about that. It doesn’t matter where you come from, it doesn’t matter what your circumstances are. Your grit matters, your ambition matters, your perseverance matters,” she asserts.
So, has anyone read the book yet in her family? “Yes… my mother (Madhu Chopra), my husband, my best friend and a few other close associates… people who’ve been part of my journey and understand me completely,” she says.