Aaron Boone is in the process of rapidly backtracking his latest update of Aaron Judge's injury.

On Tuesday, the New York Yankees manager went on WFAN and said superstar Aaron Judge's throwing could be compromised for the rest of the season due to a right elbow injury.

"I don’t think we’re going to see him back to throwing like he normally does at any point this year, but that’s OK, too," Boone said. "We’ve got to feel like he can go out there and be able to protect himself and represent himself."

Judge seemed puzzled by those comments later in the day. The two-time AL MVP said, "I don't know why he said that. He hasn't seen me throw for the past two weeks, so I'm pretty confident I'll get back to [100 percent]."

For his part, Boone then admitted he may have gone overboard with his comments on WFAN saying, "Maybe I overstated that."

So it's unclear whether we'll see Judge throwing normally this season or not.

Aaron Judge Elbow Injury Timeline

Judge was placed on the 10-day injured list with a flexor strain on July 27 after initially injuring it on July 22. Luckily for the Yankees, there was no damage to the 33-year-old slugger's ulnar collateral ligament, so he avoided Tommy John surgery.

On August 5, Judge returned to New York's lineup and has been working solely as the team's designated hitter since. He has not looked like his usual self since coming off the IL. While he does have an OPS of .854 in those 11 games, he's only hitting .229 with two home runs and six RBIs.

The injury put a damper on what has been another incredible season for Judge. He currently leads all of MLB in batting average (.333), on-base percentage (.447), slugging percentage (.687), OPS (1.134), WAR (6.9), fWAR (7.4), and wRC+ (200). He's a shoo-in to win his third MVP.

Judge seems confident he'll be able to return to the field this season and now it sounds like someone clued his manager in to that fact.

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أعلن فلاديمير بيتكوفيتش، المدير الفني لـ منتخب الجزائر، عن قائمة محاربي الصحراء المشاركة في بطولة كأس أمم إفريقيا 2025 بالمغرب.

ومن المقرر أن تنطلق بطولة كأس أمم إفريقيا 21 ديسمبر 2025 وتنتهي في 18 يناير 2026، في دولة المغرب بمشاركة 24 منتخبًا.

ويتواجد منتخب الجزائر في المجموعة الخامسة لبطولة كأس أمم إفريقيا 2025، بجانب منتخبات السودان وغينيا الإستوائية وبوركينا فاسو.

ويبدأ منتخب الجزائر مواجهاته في كأس أمم إفريقيا بمباراة السودان يوم 24 ديسمبر ثم بوركينا فاسو 28 وأخيرًا غينيا بيساو 31 من الشهر ذاته.

وتشهد قائمة منتخب الجزائر، تواجد النجم رياض محرز على رأس القائمة، بجانب بغداد بونجاح هداف محاربي الصحراء، بينما لم يتواجد عبد الرحيم دغموم المحترف ضمن صفوف النادي المصري البورسعيدي رغم تواجده في القائمة الأولية.

طالع | قائمة تونس لـ كأس أمم إفريقيا 2025.. ضم ثنائي الأهلي والزمالك وموقف معلول وفرجاني قائمة منتخب الجزائر لـ كأس أمم إفريقيا 2025

حراسة المرمى: أسامة بن بوط، لوكا زيدان، أنتوني ماندريا.

خط الدفاع: رفيق بلغالي، ريان آيت نوري، يوسف عطال، مهدي دورفال، خوان حجام، زين الدين بلعيد، رامي بن سبعيني، سمير شرقي، عيسى ماندي، محمد أمين توقاي.

خط الوسط: إسماعيل بن ناصر، رامز زروقي، هشام بوداوي، آدم زرقان، حسام عوار، فارس شايبي، إبراهيم مازة.

خط الهجوم: محمد أمين عمورة، إيلان قبال، رياض محرز، أنيس حاج موسى، عادل بولبينة، منصف بقرار، بغداد بونجاح، رضوان بركان.

Los Angeles Dodgers star Mookie Betts has had a tough 2025 campaign.

Heading into L.A.'s return to Dodger Stadium after a long road trip Monday against the St. Louis Cardinals, Dodgers fans rallied together to show Betts that they have his back. As he stepped to the plate for his first at-bat of the evening, the crowd roared as many stood to their feet to give Betts a tremendous ovation amid his recent struggles.

A plan for the ovation picked up steam across social media over the past day. And once some fans at Dodger Stadium began the louder than usual cheers, you knew others would follow.

Heading into Monday, Betts has a career-low .664 OPS through 102 games. He has never finished a season with an OPS lower than .800. His current batting average (.233), on-base percentage (.305) and slugging percentage (.358) are all career-low numbers, too. Over the Dodgers' last four games, he is 0-for-16 at the plate. He began Monday's game against the Cardinals 0-for-2.

Before the game, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Betts will remain in his No. 2 spot in the lineup despite the difficult season and recent stretch. “I’m going to continue to believe in him and trust that he’s the best option," he said pregame, via Fox's Rowan Kavner.

Even with the prolonged slump, Dodgers fans wanted their star shortstop to know they remain by his side.

Jason Roy’s record against spin under scrutiny as England look for role clarity with T20 World Cup looming

Matt Roller10-Feb-2020On May 2, 2018, it rained in Delhi. With a heavy shower reducing Rajasthan Royals’ run chase against Delhi Daredevils to a 12-over thrash, Jos Buttler was sent up the order to open, and promptly bludgeoned 67 runs from 26 balls, smiting seven sixes and four fours.While that innings came in defeat, it provided a eureka moment for Rajasthan. Buttler continued in that role for his final five games of the season, hitting 361 runs in five innings at a strike rate of 155.60; over the course of that IPL, only the pinch-hitting Sunil Narine scored faster in the Powerplay.Buttler has opened in 28 of his 29 T20 innings since his promotion in Delhi, averaging 46.88 in the role while striking at 153.72. He is belligerent against seam (70.36 average, 167.50 SR) and still impressive in his supposedly weaker suit, striking at 132.83 and averaging 32.64 against spin. The premise underlying the move was simple – to ensure the side’s best player faced as many balls as possible – but proved to be effective.There was once a debate to be had about Buttler’s best role for England in T20Is, but those numbers offer little room for negotiation. Like most teams, England find themselves with a surfeit of top-order options and fewer options in the ‘finisher’ role – but they need only ask their opponents this week about the risk of complication.In AB de Villiers’ T20 international career, he averaged 26.12 with a strike rate of 135.16, compared to 39.95 and 151.23 respectively in the IPL. His problem for South Africa was a lack of clarity in his role: as Freddie Wilde and Tim Wigmore point out in , de Villiers’ longest stretch of consecutive innings batting in the same position was a six-game run at No. 4 back in 2010.His struggles in T20Is were epitomised by the defeats that effectively knocked them out of consecutive World T20s. Against India in the 2014 semi-final, he arrived at the crease with only 37 balls remaining in the innings, scant time to make a meaningful impact on the game, and South Africa failed to defend their 172. In 2016, after starting the tournament as an opener, he strode in at 20 for 3 after three overs in a must-win Super 10 game against West Indies, with the majority of the side’s best players already dismissed.Jos Buttler averages 46.88 opening the batting since his promotion in Delhi two years ago•BCCISimilarly, while England might not have a batsman with the same profile of Hardik Pandya or Andre Russell – a fast-starting hitter, best used at the end of an innings – their captain, Eoin Morgan, is in an outrageous run of T20 form, with a death-over strike rate of 225.83 over the last two years. With Moeen Ali best suited to batting in the middle overs, where his mastery against spin comes to the fore, and Ben Stokes back in the side, it seems those three will fill in at Nos. 4-6 by the time this winter’s T20 World Cup arrives, with Buttler at the top of the order.But there is less clarity regarding who should partner him. Having been an all-format regular since – and, in part, due to – his stellar IPL run in 2018, Buttler has only opened the batting six times in T20Is, and has been paired with Jason Roy at the top of the order in each of them. But quietly, Roy’s place has become insecure over the past 18 months, in part because his focus has been elsewhere – he has only played 11 T20s since the start of 2019 – but also due to the fact his record in the format pales in comparison to his superlative 50-over one.Since the start of 2017, Roy averages 24.71 and strikes at 148.25 in all T20 cricket: a decent record, but hardly an overwhelming case for inclusion ahead of some of his competitors. Most alarming, though, is his record against spin, and legspin in particular: in that period, he strikes at 138.50 at averages 20.83 against all slow bowlers; against legspinners, he has faced 99 balls and been dismissed ten times, leaving him with an average of just 11.80. With the further consideration that Buttler’s record against pace will likely lead teams to use their spinners in the Powerplay against England, that is a cause for concern.There are reasons to be wary about those figures: the sample size is relatively small, Roy’s recent opportunities in T20 have been somewhat disjointed, and he has a comparatively strong record against spin in 50-over cricket. But given the strength of the chasing pack, he could certainly do with a run of scores in this series.The alternative candidates are plentiful, and all of them will have opportunities before the World Cup in October thanks to the sheer number of games they will play. Since Buttler’s last T20I, in October 2018, England have used Jonny Bairstow, Alex Hales, Ben Duckett, James Vince, Dawid Malan and Tom Banton at the top of the order, while Liam Livingstone, Phil Salt and Joe Denly are further options. After seeing the quality of the queue ahead of him, Joe Root appears to have accepted he is unlikely to make England’s squad for the tournament, admitting last week that he is “probably not in the best XI”.Much has been made of Malan’s superb T20I record – including by the man himself, who wrote in a recent Sky column he didn’t understand “how you can be under pressure” with an average of 57.25 and a strike rate of 156.31 – but the fact he is a slow starter counts against him. Since 2018, he has scored at 87.54 in his first five balls and 104.84 in his first ten, suggesting he might not be the man to maximise the fielding restrictions; and Morgan’s thinly-veiled criticism about his failure to run a bye off the last ball in Napier in order to boost his average suggests his character might count against him.ALSO READ: Will England dare to leave Malan out again?Bairstow’s stunning form in last season’s IPL makes him a tempting option to open with Buttler, not least given his strength against spin complements Buttler’s relative weakness against it, but he may be used best as a No. 3: he starts his innings quickly, scoring at 123.40 in his first five balls and 142.28 after ten, demonstrating his ability to both make good use of fielding restrictions in the first six overs and accelerate through the usual post-Powerplay lull. There is a temptation to suggest that England should put their 50-over pair back together, but Buttler’s record in the first six overs demands otherwise.Banton’s emergence last summer, and his strike rate of 192 against spin in the Powerplay, makes him a clear candidate despite him missing out on this squad, but in truth, that spot is up for grabs with so much time before the tournament itself.To take Banton as an example, it is possible that he could play more than 40 domestic short-form games before the World Cup, with stints in the Pakistan Super League, the IPL, the Blast and the Hundred lined up, despite the fact England only have another nine T20Is scheduled between the end of this series and the start of the tournament. After that volume of cricket, the picture will become much clearer.

Ian Bell, Graeme Swann and Mark Butcher go through the talent pool to pick two separate squads each

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Jun-2020In the era of Covid-19, the cricket calendar will need be redrawn and there will be a crush to fit in all the fixtures that were deferred. It has even been suggested that two formats could be played at the same time. While that may not actually happen, it throws up some intriguing selection questions.How would the three best-resourced sides in the world – England, India and Australia – fare in having two teams play at the same time in a Test and T20I?England: With the height of the summer already approaching, the onus for England is to fulfil as many of their international fixtures as possible to offset a massive potential financial shortfall. To that end, Ashley Giles, the team’s managing director, hinted strongly last week that two separate squads will be the route they take to maintain the biosecure “bubbles” that the ECB is seeking to create within its chosen venues. An initial training pool of 55 players has been selected, and while several of the key names are already one-format picks, some tricky decisions need to be made about the biggest stars. Former England batsmen Ian Bell and Mark Butcher, and offspinner Graeme Swann are our selectors.ESPNcricinfo LtdIan Bell: With a T20 World Cup on the horizon – well, hopefully, anyway – I’d make that format a priority. And I’d want bowlers – people like Jofra Archer, who, I think, would do really well on Australian surfaces. For the same reason, I’d want Buttler and Jonny Bairstow in the T20 side, which brings an opportunity for Ben Foakes in the Test team. He may well be the best keeper in the country and this would be a great opportunity to see a bit more of him at that level. In English conditions, you want Stuart Broad and James Anderson in your Test side. But I would like a point-of-difference bowler in the attack – someone with a bit more pace – so I’d play either Mark Wood or Olly Stone as the quick bowler and maybe rotate Anderson with Chris Woakes as required. I also see Stone as the type of bowler who could be really valuable in an Ashes series in Australia, so I’d like to see him given more opportunity in Test cricket.ESPNcricinfo LtdMark Butcher: Big call as to which team for Stokes, obviously. Think his impact for the Test team is gigantic – he’s able to shape it for longer. Picking Archer in the T20I team was more about Wood’s relative lack of success in the limited-overs arena, though Wood’s recent Test performances have been outstanding. Tom Abell might seem a little left field, but I’ve seen enough of him to take a punt that he is a special player – great mind under pressure. I could have gone for [Alex] Hales or [James] Vince, but decided to go for a clean slate. Both Bairstow and Buttler are irreplaceable in the T20I XI, giving Foakes a clear run at the Test job. No Anderson is perhaps the biggest upset and I’ll gladly have him prove me wrong and play until he’s 40!ESPNcricinfo LtdGraeme Swann: Jos Buttler has never dismantled an attack in Test cricket. He was supposedly picked to turn games from dire situations and revolutionise the way we play, but it has never materialised. He is the one-day king and always looks more comfortable slaying a white ball rather than prodding a red one. Ben Foakes is the best keeper in the country for me, and I’m a purist, so he has to play in the Tests. Alex Hales has served his time. He’s beyond brilliant on his day and easily merits a place back in the one-day side for me. He needs to show huge remorse and humility on a private level to rebuild his relationship with Morgs. The skipper won the World Cup. What he says goes. He could demand the team all wear moustaches and they’d all turn out looking like Dennis Lillee by the end of the day. The sooner their relationship is patched up, the better for Hales and England!

Did a wrong call cost Kings XI Punjab the match against Delhi Capitals? Here are the reactions on Twitter following that dramatic finish

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Sep-2020A few, including Kings XI Punjab co-owner Preity Zinta – in attendance at the venue, wondered if it’s time for technology to be used.

I travelled enthusiastically during a pandemic,did 6 days of Quarantine & 5covid tests with a smile but that one Short Run hit me hard. What’s the point of technology if it cannot be used? It’s time @BCCI introduces new rules.This cannot happen every year. #DCvKXIP @lionsdenkxip https://t.co/uNMXFJYfpe

— Preity G Zinta (@realpreityzinta) September 21, 2020

One short that wasn’t. Technology must take over in these cases…..but that’s possible if only the third umpire spotted it in time. What if #KXIP don’t make it to the final four by 2 points?? Tight #IPL2020 is likely to be… https://t.co/juCLU375jg

— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) September 20, 2020

Kings XI Punjab went on to lose the game in the Super Over.

This shouldn't happen with the technology available. This was a line call like a no ball, run out or stumping we can't afford to have these errors influencing the outcome of matches in such a competitive tournament. #DCvKXIP https://t.co/lZIpkO73ji

— Tom Moody (@TomMoodyCricket) September 21, 2020

With technology available an umpire getting a call wrong, is ridiculous. That wrong call of a short run has robbed @lionsdenkxip the victory. Got to feel for them. But full marks to @DelhiCapitals for hanging on there till the end #DoddaMathu #IPL2020 #DCvKXIP

— ದೊಡ್ಡ ಗಣೇಶ್ | Dodda Ganesh (@doddaganesha) September 20, 2020

What abt that one short run call???? #IPL2020

— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) September 20, 2020

Terrible 'one short' decision in tonight's @IPL game. However if you need 1 run off the last 2 balls and don't win… you only have yourself to blame. #WhatAMatch

— Scott Styris (@scottbstyris) September 20, 2020

The Super Over shoud not have even happened. That run was definitely not one short. Having said that, Mayank Agarwal should have walked in with KL Rahul in the Super Over and not Pooran #DCvKXIP

— Hemang Badani (@hemangkbadani) September 20, 2020

Time for the authorities to look at these closely?

This needs to be clarified before the tournament begins, like the front foot no ball. A clear oversight which I'm sure/hope is corrected moving forward. You would've thought all these areas would've been scrutinised post the World Cup last year!!

— Tom Moody (@TomMoodyCricket) September 21, 2020

It was a thrilling game nonetheless.

What a start to the #IPL .. two great back to back games!!tonight a super game to end with a super over! Fab inning @mayankcricket ! Whose going to win you think??

— Harbhajan Turbanator (@harbhajan_singh) September 20, 2020

IPL 2020 gets its first Super Over in the second game itself. Un…frikkin…believable. Et Tu Marcus. Brutal…. #IPL2020 #DCvKXIP

— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) September 20, 2020

IPL is a battle of fine margins. Short run, missed no ball … Bade bade tournaments mein chhoti chhoti baatein hoti rehti hain. Credit to Rabada and Stoinis who snatched victory from the jaws of defeat!#DCvKXIP pic.twitter.com/xARr6PFNZY

— Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) September 20, 2020

But what a performance; we fought like lions in the @lionsdenkxip #StrongerTogether #wakhra #proudcoach https://t.co/vllTsZ3RqS

— Jonty Rhodes (@JontyRhodes8) September 20, 2020

A fine 89 off 60 balls from Mayank Agarwal did not result in a win for his team.

Fantastic to see an established young Test batsman play a T20 innings like this. Well done Mayank Agarwal!

— Sanjay Manjrekar (@sanjaymanjrekar) September 20, 2020

Brilliant game. #marcusstoinis was outstanding with the bat/ball but one will feel for #mayankagarwal what an inning that was. Well done @DelhiCapitals on your first win despite losing #ashwin ‘s three crucial overs #IPL2020

— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) September 20, 2020

Here’s what our readers thought about the decision on the short run.

From our rolling report https://t.co/8DPDXBfiIu#IPL2020 #DCvKXIP pic.twitter.com/Z3wthyEYBh

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) September 20, 2020

Well, Super Overs ain’t new for Jimmy Neesham.

pic.twitter.com/TOAlS0jiYt

— Jimmy Neesham (@JimmyNeesh) September 20, 2020

An intrepid visitor to The Oval was among 1000 people helping trial the return of crowds to sporting events in the UK

Tawhid Qureshi27-Jul-2020Choice of game
A tumultuous few months, when the prospect of watching any kind of live sport seemed distant, gave way to hope and optimism as I happily passed through the Oval’s Alec Stewart Gate. I was there to watch perhaps the most significant friendly game of cricket ever played, ironically between traditional rivals, Surrey and Middlesex. I was one of the fortunate 1000 Surrey members who had patiently dialled and then several more times redialled the ticket office, to be rewarded with a ticket for the first spectator-attended sports event in England for four months. The match in essence was a glorified practice session for both sides, but the occasion itself was of far more importance, a government-endorsed test of how cricket could function as a spectator sport, against the backdrop of Covid-19.Although the surroundings of The Oval were comfortingly familiar, Surrey had clearly gone to huge lengths to make sure that the venue fully complied with new Covid-19 guidelines. The detailed four-page spectator guide emailed in advance was a taste of what to expect, including rather comical instructions to avoid hugs and to take care when celebrating. Hand sanitiser was placed at the entrance and throughout the periphery of the ground, arrows clearly directed a one-way walking system and stewards politely asked that face coverings be used in the enclosed parts of the ground. These measures seemed very sensible and a minor inconvenience in order to experience the normality of hearing leather on willow.Key Performers
The lack of genuine intensity in the game was forgivable, particularly as both teams had agreed to bat for exactly one day regardless of the number of wickets lost, indeed Surrey continued to bat after losing 10 wickets and the unlucky Ryan Patel was out twice in the same innings. Pre-season friendlies are usually a good time to give debuts, and Middlesex’s tall 18-year-old Blake Cullen will certainly remember his first ball in senior cricket, as he claimed the wicket of Will Jacks, caught at slip. His second spell after lunch signalled how much of an exciting prospect he is, as he ran in hard from the pavilion end and picked up a second wicket.Jacks began his innings with dazzling strokeplay, fluently driving the ball towards the boundary, and he looked disappointed to be dismissed after reaching his half-century. Surrey have contributed several players to the current England set up, Jacks will be hoping the season ahead means that he’s next in line. Scott Borthwick shared the most significant partnership of the innings with Jacks and eventually top scored with 87, and some late order hitting from Jordan Clark was also eye-catching.Wow Moments
Allrounder Clark’s clean hit for six over midwicket against a tiring Middlesex attack illustrated his ability to score quickly and his importance as a multi-format cricketer. The other memorable moments of the day involved sharp catching from the Middlesex fielders, despite a long gap from playing the game, most of the fielding didn’t show any sign of rustiness. Captain Stephen Eskinazi and Nick Gubbins both made difficult catches look simple.One Thing I’d Change
The overall organisation of the event was superb, but perhaps so much attention had been placed on ensuring the new social distancing guidelines were followed that communicating the quirky playing conditions was almost forgotten. Basic information about the playing XI wasn’t easily obtained but in the grand scheme of things this was a very minor gripe.Back in business: Will Jack and Scott Borthwick got going out in the middle•Getty ImagesThe Crowd
The bulk of the 1000-strong crowd were seated in a few blocks of the newly named 1845 Stand – beneath the famous gas-holder – albeit with many gaps in between, the idea being to test crowd management and social distancing within a relatively confined space. This meant warm applause greeting each Surrey boundary and subsequent landmarks was satisfyingly amplified, even if the vast empty stands opposite made the ground look lop-sided. The crowd itself was always good natured, even a rain delay and darkened clouds were unable to dampen spirits and the sense of appreciation.One of the pleasures of watching first-class county cricket at The Oval is the chance to regularly change seats and take in different views of the middle, unallocated seating being the norm. Understandably on this occasion the PA system regularly reminded people to remain in their allocated seat. Another new experience took place in the morning; a crisply struck cover drive from Jacks sent the ball speeding towards the boundary rope and then deflecting into the stands; as a spectator went to fetch the ball from under his seat, those around him anxiously told him not to. Instead the ball was kicked towards the bottom of the stand and retrieved by a fielder. The issue of touching the ball, perhaps unhelpfully and confusingly highlighted by Boris Johnson, is another part of the new Covid-19 world that we must adjust to.Marks out of 10
A triumphant 10. The hard work that Surrey had put in behind the scenes meant that the day went as smoothly as possible. Once I was safely seated, it was easy to focus on the contest in the middle and engage in sorely missed conversations about who should open the batting – the value of such seemingly mundane chat now priceless. I can only hope the success of the day results in more cricket for spectators at The Oval and beyond, a safe environment for watching cricket is clearly achievable and hugely desired by countless supporters everywhere.
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Their techniques have been shaped by the cricket they play the most, and challenging Test pitches don’t often feature

Aakash Chopra04-Jan-2021″There’s a lot of grass left on the surface, so the seam movement is too much to handle.””The overcast conditions helped the ball swing a lot and led to the collapse.””Pitches in the subcontinent turn too much, which is why visiting teams capitulate so often.”These are some of the explanations you hear these days for poor batting performances. But was it really seaming or swinging or turning that much? Or did the conditions come into focus because many modern batsmen lack the technical foundation to bat on such pitches?Related

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While answering this question, we must also look at batsmen from the past and how they responded on such surfaces. Did they play similarly? Just from memory, you might conclude that by and large those batsmen responded differently. So what has changed?Of course, technique has. Batting technique has undergone several changes over time and the rise of T20 has added another layer to it. If you were to highlight one marked change in batting techniques over the last decade or so, it’s in the foot movement – or rather, the lack of it.The likes of Tendulkar, Dravid, Lara and Hayden (the list includes pretty much all successful batsmen of the recent past, barring Virender Sehwag) had long front-foot strides that took them close to the pitch of the ball to smother the swing or spin. Most of them also used the depth of the crease to give themselves a chance to react appropriately to the seam movement. The batting fundamental was to move your feet to get into the right position to play the ball and the hands would automatically follow.

Rahane could change between two Test innings because his batting fundamentals are similar to those of batsmen of the past. A lot of other modern batsmen don’t have the “feet game” at all

Nowadays only a few batsmen still follow these fundamentals – Kane Williamson and Virat Kohli are two prominent names that come to mind. But barring a few of this rare breed, most modern batsmen are all about their hands and not so much their feet.The modern batting fundamental is to stay beside the ball when playing it, not to get behind it, the logic being that the further you are from the ball, the better the chances of getting your hands through to hit strokes. Similarly, you don’t want a long front-foot stride, because being closer to the ball will hamper your free-flowing shots.Ajinkya Rahane’s dismissal in the second innings in Adelaide and his hundred in Melbourne highlighted the importance of foot movement. In Adelaide, Rahane walked into the middle of Josh Hazlewood’s incredible spell and was dismissed for a duck. The full ball moved slightly away from him in the air and found his outside edge. While there was plenty to like in that delivery, a closer examination of the dismissal reveals that Rahane’s front foot was stuck on the crease.If the left foot (for a right-hand batsman) doesn’t move beyond the popping crease, it’s not enough to be called a front-foot movement. The only thing that happened on that ball, as far as Rahane’s feet were concerned, was the transfer of his weight onto the left leg. His left foot remained planted, and the problem with that is that the hands go forward on their own. It’s impossible to present a dead bat close to your body if the front foot hasn’t moved. Would the result have been different if he had managed to take a longish forward stride? Perhaps yes, as we saw in Melbourne.The highlight of Rahane’s century at the MCG was the assurance with which his feet moved. The stride was long and sure, which, in turn, allowed him to play the ball closer to his body with soft hands. All the Australian fast bowlers, including Hazlewood, bowled the same full-length deliveries, but found no success because Rahane was no longer batting with his hands but with his feet. Rahane could make this change between two Test innings because his batting fundamentals are similar to those of batsmen of the past. A lot of other modern batsmen are simply incapable of making such a switch because they don’t have the “feet game” at all.Changes reflect the times, and that’s the case with batting techniques too. Anyone brought up on a steady diet of white-ball cricket will invariably develop their game to suit its demands. The shorter formats are played on identical (read flat) surfaces across the world and no longer require different skill sets to succeed in all conditions. One size does fit all now.Across the three formats, Test cricket is played the least, and even in the few Tests played, you come across challenging conditions only on occasion. The returns on the time invested to develop different skill sets don’t justify the effort.Would you still blame modern batsmen for imploding in challenging conditions? It’s not that they are lazy and aren’t driven towards excellence. They are simply reacting to the changing demands of the sport they play. And it’s not totally unacceptable to play the percentages. After all, if you want to be a world traveller, you’re likely to invest time in learning English, or maybe Spanish. That’s unlikely to be of much help in, say, France, but if you travelled the world at large, you stand to cover a lot of ground with those two languages.

Bowling Australia out for 195 was a superb effort, but now the batsmen have to back it up

Sidharth Monga26-Dec-2020Not the Summer Of 36. It is the Summer Of 195 without Ishant Sharma. Of another possible under-200 without Ishant and Mohammed Shami. You have to believe it deep inside to even try it. And that’s what India kept saying. That they had seen the Australian batting, and if they kept doing the same things they did with the ball in the first innings in Adelaide, they could give themselves a chance again.This belief does not come from motivational speaking or mind control or hypnotherapy. It comes from knowing that they have done it before. That the newcomers coming in are coming in through the right supply chain of domestic cricket followed by A-team cricket. It comes from having in their attack two bowlers who will end up among the two or three greatest Indians of all time at their respective disciplines.And yet you also know that in the absence of Shami and Ishant, you don’t have the kind of relentless pace battery Australia have. So you know you will have to manoeuvre and not barge through, or as R Ashwin often repeats, skin the cat your own way. New captain Ajinkya Rahane has to play his part. The selection is a bit of a hedge: you have to play a fifth bowler to cover for the absence of two first-choice bowlers, so you muster the batting from elsewhere.R Ashwin was excellent even though it was only the first day of the Test match•Cricket Australia via Getty ImagesOn the morning of the Test, after losing the toss, he goes to R Ashwin in the first hour, only the second time he is being used as an attacking option before a third seamer in a Test outside Asia and the West Indies. The regulation captain, Virat Kohli, did it the other time, at Edgbaston in 2018. The primary reason is the same: there is early moisture that can aid turn, a left-hand batsman in sight and they expect him to use these conditions better than the third seamer. What makes it even more sensible to bowl Ashwin early is that it allows debutant Mohammed Siraj time to play himself in and if Ashwin can get one wicket, he gets to bowl at Steven Smith over whom he has the wood in recent times.Ashwin sees Matthew Wade is not trusting his defence against him so he keeps a man back for his sweep and keeps playing with his trajectory. In the first five balls he faces from Ashwin, Wade nails one hard sweep but gets just a single because of the sweeper, plays one paddle for four, and is beaten on another sweep. Ashwin just keeps hanging it there, and on the sixth ball his dip does in for the advancing Wade.However, it is against right-hand batsmen that Ashwin shows his mastery especially when the moisture begins to dry out. On a day one pitch he bowls with a 6-3 field and a leg trap of two short legs, a catching midwicket – at times two – and a boundary rider behind them. He is getting bounce but he is not bowling what is thrown at him often as the “aggressive” line outside off.R Ashwin takes off on a celebratory run after dismissing Steven Smith•Getty ImagesAshwin often says that in away matches, especially on the first day, he has the unenviable dual task of holding one end up and also taking wickets. So he can’t afford to get cover-driven. So he bowls straight lines and tries to work for his wickets there with delightful changes in pace, trajectory and seam position on the release. Smith lasts just two balls, caught at backward short leg this time. Ashwin has now got him both on the inside and the outside edge in this series.The cat-and-mouse with Marnus Labuschagne is delightful. He doesn’t want to play the forward-defensive to rising offbreaks with close-in fielders on the leg side. On one occasion he stays back seeing flat trajectory, but Ashwin beats him in the flight with a real full ball. On another he sees a shorter ball – and thus runs – only to discover it is an arm ball that beats his outside edge. Ashwin keeps tying the feet of Cameron Green and Tim Paine down, drawing forward-defensive after forward-defensive. Paine’s wicket, caught at backward short leg, is only to be expected.At the other end, though, Rahane remains less ambitious. He breaks the rule of thumb at the start of the second session after a dominant first one. He doesn’t open with the two likeliest bowlers to get him a wicket. Instead he chooses this time to give Siraj a first bowl. He probably is wary of bowling his spearhead into the ground. This hour is perhaps the only time the batsmen look comfortable at the wicket. Labuschagne and Travis Head add 42 runs in 12 overs just after the break. Most of them are bowled by Siraj and Umesh Yadav.Mohammed Siraj celebrates his maiden Test wicket•Getty ImagesEventually, though, Rahane goes to Bumrah, and he does his thing to prey on Head’s looseness outside off. Siraj comes back for a better spell with the old ball now moving for him. His straight lines bring Labuschagne’s wicket at leg gully before he sets up Green with an outswinger after outswinger only for the inswinger to trap him lbw. The plans and the fields are again spot on. There is a vicious bouncer that hits Labushagne. He is not quite Shami yet but India have found three good men in a five-man attack.People have stepped up in crisis. Ashwin and Bumrah are as much captains as Rahane. Ashwin offers pep talks in the huddle. He bowls 24 overs for just 35 runs allowing Siraj and Bumrah to stay fresh. Between them they share nine wickets.There is reason to rejoice but there is also a note of caution. India have not been relentless. Australia’s bowlers put them through a torturous task with the new ball. India are lucky they are just one down after the first two overs of high-quality seam and swing bowling. Judge a pitch after both sides have batted and bowled on it. Now you look at Umesh’s 12 overs for 39 and that first hour after lunch with more significance.India enjoyed some desperately needed luck in that early inquisition. In the first 11 overs, they played and missed nine times, the same number as the whole 36 all out innings of 128 balls. When the edge is taken it is dropped. Another one falls short. A run-out is missed. The score is 36 again. For one. After Australia have been bowled out for 195. There will be more runs. Each one of those will have to be earned. They will have to work harder than Australia’s batsmen did. But then again there are different ways to skin the cat.