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Veteran BBC radio commentator Jonathan Agnew tweeted videos of the pitch in use at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot.
England skipper lashed out at the reports of him stepping down as skipper following the Test series against India this year. Earlier in the day, the BBC had mentioned that the left-hander was looking at the option of stepping down from the captaincy role in order to concentrate on his batting.
However, during a pre match conference, Cook brushed aside the speculations saying he wasn't looking to give up captaincy role any time soon.
"Someone has made a mountain out of a molehill. It has not been a disruption. I gave an honest interview to an interview question. As always, it has been blown out of proportion. My situation has not changed. No one has talked about it in the dressing room, no one has asked me. It’s business as usual," he was quoted as saying by the Indian Express.
Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh has contributed Rs 5 lakh to a crowd-funding project to promote Indian kabaddi after the national men’s team’s World Cup triumph. Yuvraj stated that all the funds raised will be offered to the Indian kabaddi players, as a mark of respect and recognition and the funds will also be used to provide better facilities for promising new players and development of kabaddi.
“It’s the right time to do our bit for kabaddi, more so now that we have won the kabaddi World Cup. Being a sportsperson who has been a part of the World Cup winning team, I would like to make this contribution for the development of kabaddi and encourage more players to take it up with passion and pride,” Yuvraj was quoted as saying by the Indian Express.
In some happy news coming in, the Supreme Court of India have decided to release a sum of Rs. 58.66 lakhs for the first India-England Test in Rajkot starting from Wednesday.
There were talks about the game being in jeopardy earlier in the day, but with this new statement, it now seems certain that the match will go on and the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium will host its first ever Test match on Wednesday.
Australian coach Darren Lehmann has warned his players regarding their spot in the Test team following a humiliating defeat in the first Test at Perth on Monday. Lehmann was asked at a press conference if he was planning to drop any of his players for the third Test, to which he said, "I would say every spot is under pressure."
"That's the nature of the beast if you don't have success," he added.
The Australians lost the first Test at WACA by a huge margin of 177 runs. The Aussie batsmen were consistently troubled by the young and fiery Proteas bowler Kagiso Rabada. The right-arm pacer picked up a five-wicket haul in the second innings.
The second Test is scheduled to start on the 12th of November at Hobart.
19-year-old Lancashire opener Haseeb Hameed will make his Test debut for England in the opening game against India in Rajkot, starting on Wednesday. Ben Duckett, who partnered Alastair Cook in Bangladesh will bat at Number 4.
In 20 First Class matches, Hameed has scored 1458 runs at an average of 48.50 and has been spoken off widely in county cricket circles for possessing a classical technique.
Guys, am ecstatic to share that me & Begum have been blessed with a healthy baby boy just now. Oh what a feeling! Thank u Allah Pak.
— Shoaib Akhtar (@shoaib100mph) November 7, 2016
Former Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Akthar and his wife Rubab were blessed with a baby boy on Monday. The fast-bowler, who made headlines during his career for his bowling skills, seemed to be overjoyed after the latest addition to his family.
Shoaib married Robab back in 2014 with the wedding being a secret affair with only close family members attending the gathering.
The 41-year old who was recently made a shocking claim by asking cricketing nations not to visit Pakistan due to its security concerns, took to his Twitter account to announce the proud moment. Akthar posted a series of tweets expressing his happiness over becoming a dad.
Former England cricketer Allan Lamb has said that India will be the favourites to win the Test series against England. During an exclusive interview with India Today Lamb said that England will have to play really good cricket to stay alive in the series.
"Look England had it tough in Bangladesh but that's what they will be playing against; spinners of the highest quality, not even the ones they faced in Bangladesh. My problem with England is we don't have experienced spinners. We have bowlers to do reverse swing but not the same quality of spinners," he said.
The first Test is scheduled to start on the 9th of November at Rajkot.
Australian bowler Peter Siddle is termed to be doubtful for the second Test against the South Africans after the 31-year old reported of a back injury during the first Test at Perth. The pace bowler made a comeback into the team after recovering from an injury that he had suffered earlier this year.
Opener Shaun Marsh has already been ruled out of the second Test following a broken finger. Joe Burns and Callum Ferguson have been named as replacements for the left-hander. The second Test is scheduled to start from the 12th of November at Hobart.
West Indies all-rounder Kieron Pollard's participation in the Ram Slam T20 Challenge for the Cape Cobras has hit a huge stumbling block after the West Indies Cricket Board decided to impose a charge for releasing its players to take part in overseas T20 leagues.
According to ESPN Cricinfo, an email had been sent to Pollard telling him that there would be a charge of 20% of the contract fee in order to grant the No Objection Certificate (NOC) required for participation in overseas leagues.
"This will be an amount equivalent to 20% of the player fee (as defined in the player contract) that is actually paid to the relevant player," Michael Muirhead, WICB CEO, informed Pollard in the said email.
This decision has been communicated to boards of all countries who employ WI players in domestic T20 tournaments. This has been rejected by Cricket South Africa which has left Pollard's participation in the tournament which starts on November 11 in doubt.
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Virat Kohli doesn't think that DRS is Rocket Science
With the Indian team on the cusp of being exposed to the DRS on home soil for the very first time, you would think that their batting stars are spending a sleepless night before the first Test. But skipper Kohli dismissed all theories of worry.
Speaking to the media at the SCA stadium, Kohli said, "Well there is no rocket science on DRS. As a cricketer you understand, you have a fair idea of where the ball has hit the pad, whether it has pitched in line or hit in line. Those are pretty basic things in cricket. You don't have to necessarily go through a course for DRS."
"I think we have observed enough watching on TV how DRS is used. It really depends on what the bowler and a wicketkeeper, most importantly, think about the particular event or if a referral has to be made. It is pretty simple. It's nothing that we are focusing too much on. It just gives you another opportunity to check on a decision if you feel is not right. And I think that's pretty fair," the skipper added.
In the lead up to the series opener, Kohli stated that they didn't want to get too ahead of themselves while indicating that the team has a plan and would execute it while not getting carried away by recent success and adulation received.