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Fresh from the Asia Cup, he must now quickly recalibrate his game and instincts while leading India in his first ever home Test

Karthik Krishnaswamy01-Oct-20252:50

‘Nothing is pre-decided’ – Gill on Bumrah’s workload

In two successive games at the Asia Cup, Shubman Gill was bowled playing similar shots off similar deliveries from Oman’s Shah Faisal and Pakistan’s Faheem Ashraf. One was delivered by a left-armer and the other by a right-armer, one moved in the air and the other off the deck. Both moved into the batter from a fullish length, and both times, Gill tried to drive on the up and meet the ball well in front of his body.The goodness and badness of shots is context-dependent, and these were T20 games. Gill was perfectly entitled to try and drive these balls on the up.On Thursday, Gill will lead India in a Test match against West Indies in Ahmedabad. He’s likely to face a lot of balls of similar line, length and intended target to those wicket balls from Faisal and Ashraf. He’ll face them on a pitch that could have quite a bit of assistance for the fast bowlers.Related

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Typically, Gill might spend at least two weeks preparing to meet this sort of delivery — and other modes of Test-match attack — in a Test-match-appropriate manner. On Thursday, Gill will go into a Test match — his first home Test as India captain, no less — less than four full days after the conclusion of a T20 tournament.Gill is one of four players in India’s Test squad — Jasprit Bumrah, Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav are the other three — who also played the Asia Cup. While all of them will have to make quick adjustments to their game, Gill, as a top-order batter, probably faces the toughest challenge of the four. Batting is an act of split-second reactions, and T20s and Test cricket typically call for entirely different reactions to the same set of stimuli.The phrase “shot selection”, which is often invoked while discussing these reactions, doesn’t really capture what batters do, because selection typically involves conscious thought. Batting is about thought only in the spaces between actions. When the ball is in play, it’s mostly about instinct, and it’s at times when instinct is almost entirely unclouded by thought that batters feel on top of their game.This is what makes switching between formats so tricky, because batters need time to be able to train their instincts in format-appropriate ways. On Thursday, Gill will begin the Ahmedabad Test having had only two practice sessions since arriving in India at the conclusion of the Asia Cup.”When you’re going from the shortest [format] to the longest is probably the hardest,” Gill said in his pre-Test-match press conference on Wednesday. “When you go from T20 to one-day and then Test [it] is probably easier than going [directly] from Test to T20 or T20 to Test.”2:10

Chopra: ‘I hope India don’t prepare rank turners’ against West Indies

Gill suggested that format-switching, for batters, was “more mental than it is about technique”, and went on to expand on what this meant.”I just try to get in the zone,” he said. “That zone is just watching the ball well, for me, and to be able to decide, as a batsman, which areas am I going to defend and which areas am I going to attack. Just identifying those areas, and then the mental side comes in, just how much control and how much patience does one have to stick to that process.”This constant format-switching is just life for top-level batters now, but is it, really? T20 has moved so far from the other two formats over the last few years that most international teams seem to now be picking entirely different top orders in the shortest and longest formats, with ODIs providing a space for a little bit of overlap.For a long time, India had been the last top international team to feature multiple top-order batters across the three formats, but even they seemed to step into a new era of format separation after they won last year’s T20 World Cup, when Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli announced their retirement from T20Is.Gill spent most of the next year or so out of the T20I side, with India prioritising the two longer formats, but now, with next year’s T20 World Cup looming, he’s back playing all three international formats. For the moment he’s the only India top-order batter doing this, with Yashasvi Jaiswal the only other Test regular genuinely in the running for T20I selection.And Gill’s present situation isn’t just unique; it’s possibly even unprecedented.For the bulk of their careers, Rohit and Kohli — and Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul — played T20Is in an ODI kind of way in India line-ups that did likewise. When they switched formats, the gaps between the formats weren’t quite as big as they are now.Shubman Gill inspects the Ahmedabad pitch•Associated PressGill has become India’s all-format poster boy at a different time. It isn’t just that teams around the world are playing T20s in an accelerated, hypermodern way — this was true of the best teams even a decade ago — but that India are playing T20Is in this way, and showing everyone else the way in some respects. At this time, Gill will not just have to play all formats as an all-format player but play all formats in format-appropriate ways. And as Test captain and vice-captain in both white-ball formats, he’ll be expected to set an example for his team-mates.It won’t be easy, because hugely gifted predecessors have struggled to pull off this juggling act. It was probably no coincidence that Rahul’s most explosive years in the IPL coincided with his worst period in Test cricket, and that he made a successful Test comeback as an old-school opener at around the same time he began to bat in a risk-averse way in the IPL. Similarly, Rohit’s late-career embrace of a high-risk approach in white-ball cricket may have played some role in precipitating his late-career decline as a Test opener.India’s selectors and team management are probably not unaware of the pitfalls that could lie in Gill’s path, and have probably chalked out some sort of medium-term plan for managing his workload — perhaps by limiting his involvement in whichever white-ball format happens to be less of a priority at any given time, though that can’t be easy given his leadership roles.For now, Gill faces perhaps the toughest format-switch of them all, from shortest to longest, with a gap of less than four days between matches. He’s 26, a generational talent entering what are usually a top-order batter’s best years, and he’s India’s Test captain to boot. It’s a lot to handle, but who’s to say he can’t pull it off?

Newcastle United are now reportedly preparing a move to sign an impressive striker in 2026, who has outscored Nick Woltemade so far this season.

Howe "hugely frustrated" by Tottenham draw

It may now be three Premier League games without defeat for Newcastle, but Eddie Howe couldn’t hide his frustration after Tottenham Hotspur rescued a late draw on Tuesday evening. It could have capped off the beginning of their resurgence following wins over Manchester City and Everton, but ultimately highlighted their frailties instead.

Speaking to reporters at full-time, Howe said: “I think we’re hugely frustrated with ourselves really. That was a game where we had to work really hard for the first goal. I thought we were the dominant team and knocking on the door all through the first half.

“The goal came when it came and I felt then we were in a strong position having been relatively comfortable defensively to then concede the two goals in the way that we did, in the manner that we did. It’s hugely disappointing because we pride ourselves on being better than that defensively.

“Technically, second half, I don’t think we were particularly good, especially when we were leading. When you’re leading and you’ve got the advantage, one or two really quality passes in different moments can make the difference and we went the other way.”

Fewer passes than Ramsdale: Howe must drop 6/10 Newcastle star after Spurs

Newcastle United were denied another Premier League win by Tottenham Hotspur last night.

ByEthan Lamb Dec 3, 2025

The Magpies don’t have long to lick their wounds, however. Up next, they play host to Burnley in their third game in the space of a week. Victory there would represent another step in the right direction in a hectic festive period.

As each game comes, Yoane Wissa also edges closer and closer to a comeback. The DR Congo forward opted out of playing in the Africa Cup of Nations to reward Newcastle for their patience, but that may not be enough to prevent those at St James’ Park from reinforcing their frontline in January.

Newcastle preparing Igor Thiago move

While the Magpies are intent on bolstering their youth ranks, notably joining the likes of Arsenal, Spurs and Chelsea in the race for Cardiff’s Dylan Lawlor, they are also very much thinking about the present.

Indeed, according to Caught Offside, Newcastle are now preparing a move to sign Igor Thiago from Brentford in January after completing their scouting mission.

The impressive forward has scored 11 goals in 13 Premier League games this season – a number that only Erling Haaland has bettered – and could now seal a well-earned move when the January transfer window arrives.

Minutes

1,101

965

Goals

11

5

Assists

0

1

Expected Goals

8.5

4.5

Whilst there’s no denying that record signing Woltemade has made a fantastic start at Newcastle, Thiago has been on another level. The Brentford star has stepped up to replace Bryan Mbeumo, but could now complete a similar move in another blow for Keith Andrews.

The young manager has been full of praise for his forward this season, telling reporters last weekend: “He is a dream to work with. As a person, his hunger and appetite to get better is impressive.

“He is having a fantastic season, it doesn’t take a genius to see that. The numbers will tell you that, the performances he produces consistently well, how well he has integrated into the way they are playing and with individuals.”

Better than Anderson: £70m "monster" is now open to joining Newcastle

Juventus manager Luciano Spalletti has delivered a scathing assessment of his side’s performance following their 2-0 victory against Pafos in the Champions League, labelling parts of their first-half display as "embarrassing". The Italian tactician lamented that his players missed "easy balls" and struggled defensively, necessitating a tactical reshuffle involving Weston McKennie to shore up a fragile backline.

Juventus seal vital Champions League victory

While three points in the Champions League usually calls for celebration, the mood in the Juventus camp was decidedly sombre following their latest European outing against the Cypriot side. Despite securing a victory that keeps their slim hopes of a top-eight finish alive in the league phase, the Bianconeri were far from convincing, leaving their manager fuming at the technical poverty and defensive fragility on display. Spalletti refused to sugarcoat the evening's events during his post-match media duties, making it clear that while the result was necessary, the method of achieving it fell well below the standards required at the elite level of European football.

AdvertisementAFPJuventus did 'the bare minimum', says Spalletti

The primary source of Spalletti’s ire was a disjointed first-half performance where Juventus seemed unable to string passes together or control the tempo of the game. For a coach who prides himself on fluid, possession-based football, seeing his side struggle with the basics was a bitter pill to swallow.

Speaking to after the whistle, Spalletti offered a brutally honest verdict on the initial 45 minutes, saying: "It was fundamental to win and with victories, things are put right. I am not happy and neither are the lads, we could and should have done more. We did the bare minimum, in the first half there were also embarrassing situations. Then after the goal, we had more tranquillity."

Defensive headaches

Beyond the general malaise, Spalletti pinpointed specific tactical deficiencies that left his side exposed. The injury crisis in defence forced the manager into uncomfortable compromises, most notably the deployment of Weston McKennie in a defensive role and the shifting of Pierre Kalulu.

The balance of the backline was a major concern, with Pafos finding it far too easy to create goalscoring opportunities on the counter-attack. Spalletti’s analysis of his full-backs was particularly telling, highlighting the trade-off between offensive output and defensive solidity.

"Difficulty defending? It is true, we must also recover a right centre-back to let Kalulu play full-back and not McKennie," Spalletti explained.

He reserved specific criticism for the defensive vulnerabilities on the flanks, noting that while Andrea Cambiaso offers a threat going forward, he can become a liability when facing dynamic wingers.

"Also Cambiaso is very offensive and struggles against players who cut inside," the manager added. "We conceded too much and exploited our qualities little, missing easy balls. For the moment it is like this, we take the second half."

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The victory provides breathing space, but it has not solved the underlying problems. Spalletti’s public undressing of the team’s performance serves as a warning shot: this level of play will not suffice in the knockout stages against stronger opposition.

They are now 17th in the Champions League table, leaving them on track to advance as an unseeded team for the knockout play-off draw. However, with just three points separating them from the top eight, Spalletti will hope to get maximum points from their last two games of the round to ensure they go straight into the last-16.

First of all, however, they will aim to crawl back up the Serie A table as Spalletti's seventh-placed team visit a Bologna side sitting fifth and with just one defeat in their last 15 matches in all competitions. AC Milan and Napoli are currently eight points clear of Spalletti's Bianconeri at the top of the table.

Though wickets fell at the other end, Wyatt-Hodge kept finding the boundary and sealed the match with two balls to go

AAP18-Nov-2025Hobart Hurricanes opener Danni Wyatt-Hodge’s unbeaten half-century secured a thrilling four-wicket win over Adelaide Strikers.Wyatt-Hodge, the golden cap owner for most runs for the season, paced her 72 not out off 57 to perfection to get the undefeated Hurricanes home with two deliveries to spare.Strikers fast bowler Darcie Brown (4 for 16) had threatened to win the match for her side with equal career-best figures, which allowed her to wear the golden cap for most wickets for the summer to date.Hurricanes pace bowler Hayley Silver-Holmes hit consecutive boundaries in the last over off Megan Schutt to secure victory at Bellerive Oval as they chased down Adelaide’s 134.Related

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Wyatt-Hodge, who now has 251 runs in just four games this season, took 18 runs from 19-year-old Eleanor Larosa’s first over in the WBBL, including four boundaries in a row highlighted by some delightful timing through the offside.Lizelle Lee (12 runs) flicked a six with ease over deep square leg before chopping on a Brown delivery after a breezy 33-run opening stand. Brown had her rhythm working and bowled stump-to-stump. Nat Sciver-Brunt tried an ill-conceived ramp and heard the death rattle.Next on Brown’s hit list was Nicola Carey who was well caught at first slip by Amanda-Jade Wellington. Then a fast Brown yorker went straight through Heather Graham.Though wickets fell at the other end, Wyatt-Hodge kept finding the boundary when she needed to and picked up her ones and twos as well.Hurricanes are doing everything right in the early stages of the season. Their bowlers are picking up wickets with regularity and their fielders are backing them up with quality work.Strikers never got going early in their innings after being sent in and the pressure built and built. Carey’s inswingers tied up the Strikers and she made the early breakthrough to get rid of Tammy Beaumont.Adelaide’s best batter Laura Wolvaardt was well caught at mid-off by skipper Elyse Villani from the crafty offspin of Lauren Smith. Seamer Heather Graham (2-23) knocked over Madeline Penna with a peach of a delivery that seamed in and after 10 overs the visitors had dawdled to 3-45.Captain Tahlia McGrath appeared to be finding the form that has eluded her in the opening round but couldn’t kick on. Wicketkeeper Bridget Patterson (24) was another who failed to make the most of a start.Strikers legspinner Wellington (33 not out off 21) was the most creative and effective batter in her late cameo. Left-arm orthodox turner Linsey Smith (1-11 off four) gave nothing away in a wily spell for the Hurricanes.