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West Indies captain Roston Chase wants to leave New Zealand with their first Test win in the country in 30 years

Sreshth Shah12-Dec-20252:26

Roston Chase: ‘We made mistakes at crucial points in the game’

After another collective batting failure, West Indies captain Roston Chase called on his batters to convert their starts and hold themselves accountable after undoing the work of a disciplined bowling attack.West Indies made only 205 in the first innings in the second Test against New Zealand in Wellington, but then restricted New Zealand to 278. However, they were skittled for just 128 in the second innings when batting conditions were in fact better, and eventually went down by nine wickets.Chase said the manner of the loss stung especially because West Indies had got into a decent position before the collapse, and rejected suggestion that conditions were to blame.Related

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“We were in a good position up to this morning, even though in the first innings, we thought that we should have got some more runs,” Chase said in the post-match press conference. “A number of batsmen getting some starts, but we didn’t really convert into anything big. We left some runs up there in the first innings, and we thought that we would have gotten those runs in the second innings, but it didn’t happen. So very disappointing for us after the bowlers really put up their hands and brought us back into the game.”I still thought that the pitch was one that we could score runs on. Personally, I thought it was not as tough as the first game. I thought the first innings in [the first Test in] Christchurch, the ball was doing a whole lot, but I didn’t think that was the case here. I just thought we just made some mistakes at some crucial points in the game, and we just never really got our foot back into the game today.”Across the tour, Chase said, West Indies’ batting malaise had been clear: players get in, and then give it away. In Wellington, seven times batters crossed 20 across both of West Indies’ innings, yet the highest score was Shai Hope’s 47. The rest, like Hope, frittered away promising starts – 44, 33 and 29 in the first innings, followed by 22, 35 and 25 in the second.”You have to work very hard to get that start,” Chase said. “It’s just about buckling down and having that determination to carry it. You will get good balls, but I think sometimes we just give it away a little too easy when we get to the 30s and the 40s. But especially in New Zealand, we know the first innings is very crucial. If you can get a good first-innings total where the ball is moving around a lot more and [there’s] a lot of green on the wicket, that puts you in a commanding position to have a chance at winning the game.”When we do sit and chat after games, we sit and we discuss those things. We try to hold everyone accountable for their actions. But not only just talking, we need to find ways out there in the middle to combat what is being thrown at us.”Yet, even after a chastening defeat, Chase stressed that the squad remained driven by a long-standing ambition: winning a Test in New Zealand for the first time in 30 years. A victory in the third Test in Mount Maunganui would not only end that drought but also square the series and give West Indies their first win of the 2025-27 World Test Championship cycle.”The last time we won in New Zealand was in 1995, so we want to leave here with a win,” Chase said. “We still think that we are capable enough to get a win, but it’s just for us to be consistent, because the bowlers have shown that they’re capable of getting us those ten wickets or 20 wickets that we need to get.”

The allrounder made 100 of 133 runs scored while he was at the crease

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Dec-2019Simon Milenko scored a brilliant maiden first-class hundred as he hauled Tasmania up to 254 on the opening day against South Australia.Milenko, who came in at No. 7, hit 100 of the 133 runs made while he was at the crease as first Lawrence Neil-Smith then Gabe Bell hung around with him. He was on 95 when Bell edged to slip, but No. 11 Riley Meredith survived long enough for him to reach three figures before he dragged on against Will Bosisto’s second ball of the innings.Until Milenko’s display it was a story of Tasmania’s top order wasting starts against some probing bowling from South Australia who had suffered further Shield heartache in the previous match against Western Australia when they lost with eight balls remaining.Joe Mennie claimed the first three wickets to fall – starting with Jordan Silk who was given lbw padding up after waiting an age for the umpire’s decision – then Chadd Sayers trapped George Bailey lbw in what will be his final first-class match before becoming an Australian selector after the BBL.Jake Doran and Ben McDermott both fell to Wes Agar to leave Tasmania 6 for 150 and seemingly struggling to reach 200.However, Milenko took charge although it was only after reaching his half-century – which he brought up with a six off Agar – that he changed gears as his second fifty took just 33 deliveries.Left with 12 overs to face before stumps, Jake Weatherald and Henry Hunt made it through without loss.

“It was always going to be useful to give our bowlers more time to get Zimbabwe bowled out”

Mohammad Isam10-Jul-2021Najmul Hossain Shanto has said that Bangladesh went for quick runs on the fourth day to give his team’s bowlers ample time to bowl Zimbabwe out in the fourth innings. Shanto and Shadman Islam both struck unbeaten centuries to raise Bangladesh’s lead to 476 runs, before Brendan Taylor’s counterattacking 92 took the hosts to 140 for 3 at stumps.Shanto said that while Bangladesh were still on course for victory, the Harare pitch did not have too many demons for the batters.”It was always going to be useful to give our bowlers more time to get them bowled out,” Shanto said. “That’s why we needed to score quick runs, and it went according to plan. I think we are in a good position. But we have a lot of work to do. The wicket is still quite good. Our bowlers and fielders have their work cut out. We hope to take early wickets, which will make things easy for us.”Shanto’s 117 included six sixes, a new record in Zimbabwe, as he went after the part-time spinners Roy Kaia and Milton Shumba. He added 196 runs with Islam, Bangladesh’s highest second-wicket stand against Zimbabwe.This was Shanto’s second century in three Tests although there have been some low scores in between. “I try to stay in the present, not think about what happened in the last four innings. I can have a bad day, but I always try to score runs.”Shanto said that he and Islam were guiding each other throughout the partnership.”The positive side was that we spoke to each other about what to do and when to do it. We were not thinking about scoring hundreds. We were responding to the match situation, but we finished on two good scores,” he said.Islam dedicated his maiden Test century to his parents. Islam’s father has been working in BCB’s development programme for two decades, specialising in scouting young talent. Both Islam and Shanto have come through this system, although Islam is a late bloomer.”I wanted to play ball-by-ball but I ended up getting a century. I am happy about my achievement. This century came because of my team-mates and coaches. I’d like to dedicate it to my parents,” he said.Islam also said that he felt bad that Saif Hassan, who made 43, missed out on a big score.”Saif was unfortunate to get out in that way. He was batting well today, and we were doing well together. Shanto came and told me that we should continue in the same way. But things changed after lunch, when we decided to up the scoring rate.”

Melbourne Renegades, with captain Sophie Molineux carrying an injury, fell in a heap

Andrew McGlashan25-Nov-2021Talk about peaking at the right time. For the second night running Adelaide Strikers produced a display of utter dominance to book a place in the WBBL grand final against Perth Scorchers.Where it was Amanda-Jade Wellington who stole the show on Tuesday, this victory was set-up by the seamers – notably the superb Darcie Brown – although Wellington certainly played her part with the ball and in the field.Everything that could go wrong for Renegades did. They lost Josie Dooley first ball to a huge Megan Schutt inswinger, Courtney Webb was run out backing up and captain Sophie Molineux did not bat having been in a moonboot with a foot injury ahead of the game.After Schutt’s first-ball strike, Brown then made a mark in her first over when Carly Leeson clubbed to mid-on where Wellington almost misjudged the catch before diving forward.Jemimah Rodrigues briefly responded with three boundaries off Schutt’s second over but fell to a well-executed plan when she upper cut a short ball from Brown to third. Brown would finish her four overs with 18 dot balls in another agenda-setting performance.The wheels well and truly came off for Renegades when Jess Duffin crunched Wellington to mid-on, Player of the Tournament Harmanpreet Kaur played across a straight one against Tahlia McGrath and Webb was run out for a diamond duck when a straight drive clipped Wellington’s fingers.Eve Jones planted Wellington down the ground for a straight six before being run out by Sarah Coyte’s direct hit having more than made amends for a misfield.By now it was clear that there was a problem with Molineux as she continued to slip down the order and coach Simon Helmet confirmed to the host broadcaster that she was playing through pain and they hoped she wouldn’t have to bat. Molineux, who was tentative in her delivery stride, was taken for 22 runs off her two overs.The lower order managed to see how the 20 overs but there was never any damage done to Strikers who sent down 68 dot balls.The chase was always likely to be a formality and the only major alarm came through an injury scare when Dane van Niekerk took a blow on the glove attempting a reverse sweep. She responded with two boundaries and then a six to allay too many concerns.Katie Mack, in the form of her life, took her tournament tally past 500 runs as she again remained unbeaten.

The opener hit 117 off 67 balls while there was also a half-century for Peter Handscomb and with the ball Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Marsh and Ashton Agar impressed

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Jun-2019While one Australian left hander was filling his boots in Nottingham, another was doing similar in Northampton as Matthew Wade hammered 117 off 67 balls to guide Australia A to a convincing victory at the start of their tour.His innings was the standout feature of a very efficient performance from a side that contains plenty of international experience. Wade, who was playing as a specialist batsman, still harbours hopes of resurrecting his international career despite being overlooked during a prolific home season, the form from which does not seem to have dissipated after a few months off.”I was happy with it. I haven’t played for a while so wasn’t 100% sure how I would strike the ball after a late arrival but I struck it as clean as I have for a while,” he said. “My mindset coming over here has been staying true to how I want to play, not letting things that may come in the future get into my head. I just want to come out and play the way I want to play and I know my game is good enough to succeed in any format or any competition I play in.”Elsewhere there was a neat innings from Peter Handscomb (64) who many feel should be part of the current World Cup squad, while the same sentiment applies to Josh Hazlewood who bagged 2 for 51 in his first competitive outing since being laid low by a back injury in early January.Mitchell Marsh, who was on standby to replace Marcus Stoinis at the World Cup, and Ashton Agar combined to take five wickets as Northamptonshire were held to 262 for 9 then Marsh helped complete the chase with an unbeaten 40.However, it was mostly about Wade as he flayed 18 fours and three sixes in a powerful display with the Northamptonshire attack powerless to stop him. He added a rapid opening stand of 58 with D’Arcy Short – his partner contributing just 7 – then put on 85 in 10 overs with captain Travis Head. When he fell in just the 21st over, Wade had scored 117 of the 170 runs leaving a simple task for the middle order to finish things off with 14 overs to spare.”I was feeling good, my timing was there which is always key,” Wade said. “I’ve trained a long time in the nets the way I want to play in games. I’m quite attacking at the moment, but the mindset isn’t to swing at every ball. When I feel I’m just trying to get myself in for 20-30 runs it never really works out, I need to walk out and me positive in the mind, look to score and in England you get such value for shots.”In the field, Hazlewood only had to wait until his third over to strike when he trapped Richard Levi lbw, but the Northamptonshire top order put in a solid display. Rob Newton (53) and Josh Cobb (49) added 92 before Marsh and Agar started to make inroads.Alex Wakely also struck a half-century but when he fell to Agar in the 43rd over the lower order couldn’t lift the tempo although an unbroken final-wicket stand of 30 meant the home side batted out their overs.

Joseph, Seales picked up three wickets each while debutant Phillip, Mayers returned two each

Associated Press25-Jun-2022Bangladesh showed progress in making 234 against West Indies after being forced to bat first in the second Test at Daren Sammy Stadium on Friday. It was a marked improvement from their 103 all-out in the first innings of the first Test in Antigua, where they lost with almost two days to spare.West Indies’ class was still on show on Friday when they reached stumps at 67 without loss. Openers John Campbell and Kraigg Brathwaite were unruffled in making 32 and 30 respectively.Anderson Phillip, given his Test debut in place of Gudakesh Motie, earned the first wicket with his second delivery when he bowled Mahmudul Hasan Joy for 10.Tamim Iqbal looked like he had his eye in while hitting nine boundaries for 46, but he was rooted to the crease while poking at Alzarri Joseph and was caught in the covers.Related

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Anamul Haque, who last played a Test eight years ago at the same ground, was developing a good partnership with Najmul Hossain Shanto until they were rapped on the front pads by Phillip and Kyle Mayers respectively, and lost reviews. Anamul made 23 while Shanto scored 26.Captain Shakib Al Hasan soon edged Jayden Seales onto his stumps on 8, and Nurul Hasan was caught behind on 7 after Joseph glanced his glove.Bangladesh were 159-6 at tea with Litton Das settled in, but as soon as he reached his 14th Test fifty, he was dismissed by Joseph on 53.The tourists passed 200 thanks to tailenders Shoriful Islam, who hit five boundaries off Roach for 26, and Ebadot Hossain, who was 21 not out.Seales and Joseph claimed three wickets each with Phillip and Mayers two each.Campbell and Brathwaite showed there were no tricks in the pitch when they scored at more than four an over in 16 overs to reduce the deficit to 167 runs.

Captain’s 78 blows Sunrisers away at Taunton

ECB Reporters Network29-May-2022Sophie Luff registered a brilliant half century as Western Storm defeated Sunrisers by 42 runs at the Cooper Associates Ground in Taunton to keep alive their hopes of progressing from Group B in the Charlotte Edwards Cup.Storm’s talismanic captain won the toss, elected to bat, top-scored with 78 from 54 balls and shared in stands of 69 and 70 with Heather Knight and Danielle Gibson for the second and fourth wickets respectively as the home side posted 169-5 in 20 overs.For once cast in the role of chief support, Knight contributed 34, while Gibson made a valuable 26. Kelly Castle took 2 for 16 and Mady Villiers 2 for 33 as Sunrisers did their best to staunch the flow of runs.Naomi Dattani responded with a pugnacious 53 from 51 balls and forged a stand of 56 with Castle, who summoned defiance aplenty to finish on 40 not out. But Sunrisers struggled in the face of accurate bowling from Gibson, who took 2 for 13, and came up short on 128 for 6.Storm made an inauspicious start to their innings, Fi Morris dancing down the wicket to a wide delivery from Villiers and being comprehensively stumped by Scarlett Hughes for two in the first over. Dattani and Grace Scrivens initially kept Knight and Luff quiet as runs proved hard to come by during the first four overs.But Knight swept and drove consecutive balls from Villiers to the boundary in the fifth to afford the innings momentum and the next two overs, sent down by Jo Gardner and Abtaha Maqsood, yielded 20 more runs as the second wicket pair found their rhythm.Related

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Intent upon fine-tuning ahead of next month’s one-off Test match against South Africa women on this ground, England captain Knight helped herself to five boundaries and ran hard between the wickets in a workaholic alliance with Luff, which served to build a solid platform. These two propelled Storm to 71 for 1 at the halfway stage, but Sunrisers temporarily redressed the balance when Gardner pinned Knight in front and, in the next over, Hughes executed a smart leg-side stumping to account for new batter Fran Wilson off the bowling of Castle.There was no stopping Luff however, Storm’s captain raising 50 from 42 balls as she pressed down on the accelerator in partnership with Gibson, who adopted a characteristically aggressive approach to put the fielding side under sustained pressure for the first time.Luff plundered a straight-driven six off Scrivens and then clipped the next ball behind square for four as the fourth wicket partnership realised 50 from 27 balls in the 17th over. Gibson proved adept at rotating the strike as Luff, sensing a hundred might be within her grasp, launched a late assault on Sunrisers’ death bowlers.There was palpable relief within Sunrisers ranks when Castle trapped Luff lbw with the score on 151 in the 18th over. Storm’s captain left the field to a standing ovation, having blazed 10 fours and a six in attaining her highest score of the season.Gibson departed three balls later, the third batter to be stumped by Hughes, this time off the bowling of Villiers, as Sunrisers belatedly made in-roads. There was still time for Katie George and Georgia Hennessy to offer a late flourish, the sixth wicket pair adding 16 in nine balls to hoist Storm to an imposing total.Storm further stamped their authority with the ball, Claire Nicholas bowling Villiers without scoring and Gibson dismissing Scrivens lbw for four as the openers perished inside three overs. Gardner played down the wrong line and was bowled by a Gibson in-swinger, at which point Sunrisers were 29 for 3, their reply fatally undermined by the loss of early wickets.Former Storm allrounder Dattani attempted to carry the fight to the home side, but the task was a demanding one when the visitors reached halfway on 48 for 3, requiring a further 121 at 12 an over. Nevertheless, the 28-year-old Londoner gave it her best shot, going to 50 with her ninth four and dominating a stand of 56 in eight overs with Castle, who was content to play second fiddle.Now fully recovered from the back injury that derailed her fledgling England career, George brought the fourth wicket stand to a shuddering halt, having Dattani held at mid-off to claim her first wicket of the season and reduce Sunrisers to 85 for 4. Hennessy produced a slower ball to account for Mia Rogers, brilliantly caught by Knight at mid-on, but the game was already up for the visitors by then.

The wicketkeeper-batter played 74 Tests, 139 ODIs and 71 T20Is, and hopes to continue being a part of T20 leagues around the world

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Jul-2022Former West Indies captain, the wicketkeeper-batter Denesh Ramdin, has announced his retirement from international cricket with immediate effect.”It is with great pleasure that I announce my retirement from international cricket,” Ramdin, who last played for West Indies in a T20I in December 2019, said on Instagram. “The past 14 years have been a dream come true. I fulfilled my childhood dreams by playing cricket for Trinidad and Tobago, and the West Indies.”My career afforded me the opportunity to see the world, make friends from different cultures and still be able to appreciate where I came from.”He will, however, continue to play franchise cricket, Ramdin said. He hasn’t found a team at the upcoming edition of the CPL, though, despite having represented Guyana Amazon Warriors, St Kitts and Nevis Patriots and Trinbago Knight Riders from 2013 to 2021. He has also played for Multan Sultans at the PSL, in 2017 and 2018.Ramdin, who played 74 Tests, 139 ODIs and 71 T20Is, started out in Test cricket, making his debut against Sri Lanka in Colombo in July 2005. His ODI debut, against India, followed later on the tour in a tri-series involving the three teams.He played a part in West Indies’ T20 World Cup triumphs in 2012 and 2016. In the first, he hardly got a chance to bat in seven matches, but effected six dismissals behind the stumps. In the second, he was unimpressive in front of the wickets, with 36 runs in four innings – in six games – at a strike rate 69.23, and had three dismissals behind the stumps.More recently, Ramdin fell off the radar of the national selectors. His last Test and ODI appearances were back in 2016.”Yea Viv Talk Nah!”•Getty Images

A competent batter usually, Ramdin hit four Test centuries across his career, three of which came away from home. His second Test hundred – against England at Edgbaston in 2012 – caused controversy when he took out a note from his pocket on achieving the milestone, stating “Yea Viv talk nah”. This was in response to Viv Richards having questioned Ramdin’s poor form in the first two Tests of that tour, where he managed only 51 runs, and wasn’t consistent with his wicketkeeping either.As a result of his antics, Ramdin was fined 20% of his match fee by the ICC.He was in trouble with the ICC again only a year later, when playing against Pakistan, he claimed a grounded catch off Misbah-ul-Haq in the Champions Trophy. Ramdin had fumbled while trying to take the ball falling forward, but still went up in celebration. On that occasion, Ramdin was suspended for two ODIs, and docked his entire match fee.Ramdin was named West Indies’ Test captain in 2014, taking over from Daren Sammy, who had retired from the format. Overall, Ramdin led his country in 17 matches – 13 Tests, three T20Is and an ODI – before being removed in September 2015, when Jason Holder replaced him at the helm.The results were mixed. West Indies won four of those 13 Tests, all at home against New Zealand, Bangladesh [two] and England, but lost seven, including five at home. West Indies won the only ODI he led in, while it was one win and two losses in T20Is.Later, in mid-2016, Ramdin tweeted about his exclusion from the Test side against India before the West Indies squad was made official, triggering some chatter. He had played all three Tests in Australia in 2015-16, scoring half-centuries in Melbourne and Sydney, but never played a Test again.

“I am bowling well and getting wickets again, so definitely looking forward to their call when they want my services”

Srinidhi Ramanujam22-Sep-2022Shardul Thakur has said that he is being looked at as an “all-format player” for India. Even though he has predominantly featured in ODIs this year, in the limited conversations he has had with the India captain Rohit and head coach Rahul Dravid, Thakur said that the management wants him to play all three formats for the national team.”In the first conversation between them and me, they conveyed to me that I am a three-format player for them,” Thakur, who starred with four wickets to bowl New Zealand A out for 167 in the first one-dayer, said on Thursday. “They are looking at me in all three formats. After that [conversation], we really did not sit and have a chat because we have been playing games regularly. If you see, the schedule is packed. The Indian team is playing series after series with a gap of just four-five days. No one has really had time to sit and chat with each other. All the chat that we have had otherwise was game-based, or planning in terms of strategy for the next game – that kind of stuff.”Related

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Seen as a seam-bowling allrounder, Thakur has not always been the first-choice option for India in the limited-overs format. He was not part of the recently concluded Asia Cup nor did he make the cut for the upcoming T20 World Cup. However, with the next ODI World Cup in India is just over a year, he could well be in the mix. With Hardik Pandya back in the XI as a pace allrounder, Thakur will be competing for the third seamer’s slot, with the likes of Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna and Deepak Chahar, while Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami will be leading the pace attack.Having gone wicketless only twice in nine ODIs this year, and picking up 14 wickets at an economy of 6.02, Thakur said that he was “definitely looking for a national call again” irrespective of the format.”I am bowling well, getting wickets. Even in the last two white-ball series [against Zimbabwe and the West Indies] that I’ve played, I have taken wickets. So definitely looking for a national call again whenever they want my services,” he said.Overall this year, Thakur has featured in three of the five Tests that India played, where he also starred with a seven-wicket haul in the Johannesburg Test and has played only a solitary T20I in the 27 games played by India so far. In 50 overs, Thakur has played nine out of 15 games.Though he was initially a part of the West Zone squad for the ongoing Duleep Trophy, Thakur was drafted into India A contingent after Prasidh’s back injury. In the two first-class games against New Zealand A held in Bengaluru and Hubbali before the List A games, Thakur took three wickets. How has he adapted his game for various formats and conditions?”The moment T20 cricket was introduced, players had the challenge to switch between formats,” Thakur said. “As a professional, it’s our responsibility to switch immediately. In recent years, the switch has been happening a lot. It’s not the case where you play red ball first, you move on to ODIs and then T20Is, it all depends on what kind of schedule we have. I think as a player we just have to be ready and whenever we get time, apart from playing a match, like in nets or maybe a couple of days between the series, we just have to practise different skills that you would use in different formats.”

Royals’ opening pair has been in red-hot form, but they come up against a Titans attack that has been bossing the powerplay. Who will come out on top?

Sreshth Shah15-Apr-20235:30

Bishop: Titans should bowl Rashid to Buttler straight away

Big Picture – Rematch of the IPL 2022 final

Gujarat Titans and Rajasthan Royals meet for the first time this season, following wins that should’ve been more clinical than they were. Rahul Tewatia’s scoop off Sam Curran gave a nervy Titans points against Punjab Kings while Sandeep Sharma held his nerve to clinch victory against MS Dhoni and Chennai Super Kings. They’d both want to be more ruthless on Sunday.Royals have had all their success setting sizeable totals and defending them. Against Super Kings, they became the first team to successfully defend a sub-190 score, earning their third bat-first win in four games. Titans meanwhile have put together chases in a calculative manner, with a deep batting line-up, and have lost just once chasing in 12 games since the start of IPL 2022.Rashid Khan could play a big role. Jos Buttler (strike rate 69 and four dismissals in 11 innings), Sanju Samson (strike rate 98) and Shimron Hetmyer (four dismissals) struggle against him. But Titans are not wholly dependent on Rashid either. Since the start of IPL 2022, no team has taken more powerplay wickets (35) than Titans with Mohammed Shami and Alzarri Joseph proving difficult to handle this year too. Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, Vijay Shankar and David Miller have shown form as well.Royals will want their openers to set the tone. No pair this season has scored more runs in partnership quicker (194 runs at a strike rate of 202) or hit more powerplay boundaries than Buttler and Yashasvi Jaiswal (19 apiece). They also do exceedingly well against spinners, averaging 72 runs per wicket, the best (by far) among the 10 teams. Their experienced bowling has been exceptional too. R Ashwin (6.4) and Trent Boult (7.3) are among the tidiest bowlers in terms of economy this season while Yuzvendra Chahal (10 wickets) is an early purple cap contender.The rematch of the IPL 2022 final promises to be a high-quality affair between in-form teams. The perfect way to end week two of IPL 2023.

Form guide (most recent match first)

Titans: WLWW
Royals: WWLW

Team news – All eyes on Trent Boult

Boult was rested due to a “small niggle” in their last game. If he returns, then fellow pacer Kuldeep Sen gets benched (and perhaps Adam Zampa makes way on the overseas roster).Titans have no injury concerns.

Toss and Impact Player strategy

Based on who bats and who bowls, Dhruv Jurel and Yuzvendra Chahal are likely to be the Impact Player swaps for Royals. Titans could use Josh Little and Vijay Shankar similarly.Gujarat Titans
Bat-first XI (possible): 1 Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 2 Shubman Gill, 3 Sai Sudharsan, 4 Hardik Pandya, 5 Vijay Shankar, 6 David Miller, 7 Rahul Tewatia, 8 Rashid Khan, 9 Mohammed Shami, 10 Mohit Sharma, 11 Alzarri Joseph.Bowl-first XI (possible): 1 Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 2 Shubman Gill, 3 Hardik Pandya, 4 Vijay Shankar, 5 David Miller, 6 Rahul Tewatia, 7 Mohammed Shami, 8 Josh Little, 9 Rashid Khan, 10 Mohit Sharma, 11 Alzarri Joseph.Rajasthan Royals
Bat-first XI (possible): 1 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2 Jos Buttler, 3 Devdutt Padikkal/Riyan Parag, 4 Sanju Samson (capt, wk), 5 Shimron Hetmyer, 6 Dhruv Jurel, 7 Jason Holder, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Sandeep Sharma, 10 Trent Boult/Adam Zampa, 11 Kuldeep Sen.Bowl-first XI (possible): 1 Jos Buttler, 2 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 3 Sanju Samson (capt, wk), 4 Shimron Hetmyer, 5 Jason Holder, 6 Devdutt Padikkal/Riyan Parag, 7 R Ashwin, 8 Sandeep Sharma, 9 Yuzvendra Chahal, 10 Trent Boult/Adam Zampa, 11 Kuldeep Sen.

Pitch and conditions

Since IPL 2021, only twice in nine occasions has a team successfully defended in Ahmedabad. The average first-innings winning score in this period is 175.Sunday evening will be hot, with temperatures around 35 degrees C.

Stats that matter

• Shubman Gill is not fluent against Boult or Chahal. He has a strike rate of 98 against the pacer and 104 against the spinner.
• Sanju Samson enjoys facing Mohammed Shami: scoring 54 runs in 28 balls with only one dismissal.
• Shimron Hetmyer has faced Shami five times in T20s. He’s been dismissed by Shami on four of those occasions.
• Hardik Pandya has been out for single digits in all his three innings this season.
• David Miller has been among the best IPL chasers recently. Since the start of IPL 2022, he has been out only twice in 11 innings in a chase. He averages 184 with a strike rate of 151 batting second in that period.