India captain Virat Kohli has said Australia Test series hero Rishabh Pant will keep wickets in the opening Test against England in Chennai that begins on Friday.
India have been torn between Pant and Wriddhiman Saha, who is widely considered the better keeper but was dropped after managing only 13 runs in the opening Test against Australia in Adelaide in December.
Replacing him behind the stumps, Pant produced spectacular fourth innings knocks of 97 and 89 not out in Sydney and Brisbane to help India pull off an epic 2-1 series triumph last month.
Pant "has had impact performances in Australia recently, and he's in a good space", Kohli told a video conference ahead of the series-opener at the M A Chidambaram Stadium.
"We want him to build on this, along with him improving all aspects of his game, which will happen with more game-time and more confidence he gains playing those games."
India had preferred Saha at home, where his neat glovework has been particularly effective while keeping to spinners.
Pant did spill some catches in Australia, but Kohli said he "brings in a lot of value to this team, and he will continue to be backed because he's an impact player".
"He can definitely be a very consistent match-winner for India and someone that the opposition will definitely be wary of every time they play against India."
Kohli missed the last three Tests in Australia to attend the birth of his daughter, but was pleased to see how, under Ajinkya Rahane, India completed a stunning turnaround.
"We've been working for a long time to create a team identity," said Kohli, hoping to lead India to a 13th successive Test series victory on home soil.
"Since I took over Test captaincy in 2014, we decided we'd play to win, and draw will be our last resort," he said. "We have stuck to this, day in day out, series after series.
"Our last two series victories in Australia confirmed we're on the right track."
Meanwhile, England batsman Zak Crawley will miss the first two Tests after slipping on a marble floor outside the team’s locker room and spraining his right wrist.
What England captain Joe Root described as a “freak incident” happened on Tuesday, and Crawley hasn’t trained since.
Scans showed a sprain and inflammation in the joint, ruling the No 3 batsman out of the first Test starting on Friday.
England has since taken measures to ensure the same thing doesn’t happen to another player.
“It’s really frustrating for Zak and hard for him to take,” Root said. “It’s not something you first think about when you turn up to a ground, trying not to fall over.
“We initially just put some towels down and since then they’ve put something more substantial down. We know we’ve got to be careful.”
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
End of free parking
- paid-for parking will be rolled across Abu Dhabi island on August 18
- drivers will have three working weeks leeway before fines are issued
- areas that are currently free to park - around Sheikh Zayed Bridge, Maqta Bridge, Mussaffah Bridge and the Corniche - will now require a ticket
- villa residents will need a permit to park outside their home. One vehicle is Dh800 and a second is Dh1,200.
- The penalty for failing to pay for a ticket after 10 minutes will be Dh200
- Parking on a patch of sand will incur a fine of Dh300
Heavily-sugared soft drinks slip through the tax net
Some popular drinks with high levels of sugar and caffeine have slipped through the fizz drink tax loophole, as they are not carbonated or classed as an energy drink.
Arizona Iced Tea with lemon is one of those beverages, with one 240 millilitre serving offering up 23 grams of sugar - about six teaspoons.
A 680ml can of Arizona Iced Tea costs just Dh6.
Most sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, five teaspoons of sugar in a 500ml bottle.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Favourite book: ‘The Art of Learning’ by Josh Waitzkin
Favourite film: Marvel movies
Favourite parkour spot in Dubai: Residence towers in Jumeirah Beach Residence
Winners
Best Men's Player of the Year: Kylian Mbappe (PSG)
Maradona Award for Best Goal Scorer of the Year: Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
TikTok Fans’ Player of the Year: Robert Lewandowski
Top Goal Scorer of All Time: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
Best Women's Player of the Year: Alexia Putellas (Barcelona)
Best Men's Club of the Year: Chelsea
Best Women's Club of the Year: Barcelona
Best Defender of the Year: Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus/Italy)
Best Goalkeeper of the Year: Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG/Italy)
Best Coach of the Year: Roberto Mancini (Italy)
Best National Team of the Year: Italy
Best Agent of the Year: Federico Pastorello
Best Sporting Director of the Year: Txiki Begiristain (Manchester City)
Player Career Award: Ronaldinho
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
Muslim Council of Elders condemns terrorism on religious sites
The Muslim Council of Elders has strongly condemned the criminal attacks on religious sites in Britain.
It firmly rejected “acts of terrorism, which constitute a flagrant violation of the sanctity of houses of worship”.
“Attacking places of worship is a form of terrorism and extremism that threatens peace and stability within societies,” it said.
The council also warned against the rise of hate speech, racism, extremism and Islamophobia. It urged the international community to join efforts to promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence.
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Game Changer
Director: Shankar
Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram
Rating: 2/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
