Fiery pacers blast Bangladesh out for 150, India 86/1 on day 1
Indore, Nov 14: India's pace troika was at its menacing best against an under-confident Bangladesh, helping the home team seize control of the first Test here on the opening day itself.
On one of the bounciest tracks in recent times, Bangladesh were bundled out for 150 in 58.3 overs, lasting barely two sessions and a few overs more here on Thursday.
With ample time at their disposal, India ended the day at 86 for 1 in 26 overs, losing Rohit Sharma's (6) wicket to Abu Jayed.
The notable aspect during the Indian innings was Cheteshwar Pujara (46 batting) outscoring the more flamboyant Mayank Agarwal (37 batting) during their unbroken 72-run stand, leaving ominous signs for the four-man Bangladesh attack.
The first day's proceedings starkly highlighted the gulf between world's No.1 and No.9 Test sides.
Umesh Yadav (2/47 in 14.3 overs), Ishant Sharma (2/20 in 12 overs) and Mohammed Shami (3/27 in 12 overs) made life difficult for a team whose batsmen lacked both in technique and temperament.
A luckless Ravichandran Ashwin (2/43 in 16 overs), let down by Ajinkya Rahane in the slips cordon, also had a couple of clean-bowled dismissals in his kitty in the post-lunch session.
The three Indian pacers consistently bowled at 140 kmph, with seam, swing and bounce making life miserable for Bangladeshi batsmen.
Each of the three displayed different qualities and it was evident from the manner of dismissals.
Ishant's bowling was about disconcerting bounce from length that had opener Shadman Islam caught behind and the occasional fuller delivery holding its line that forced Liton Das to edge one to Virat Kohli in the slips.
For Umesh, it started with brisk pace and getting it to seam into other opener Imrul Kayes and making him expect more incoming deliveries. Just when Kayes was getting used to a pattern, Umesh produced away going deliveries for the left-hander, squaring him up and the edge flew to slips.
He again came in the post-tea session during which the tailenders looked scared, retreating towards square leg in fear of getting hurt.
Mohammed Shami, probably the craftiest among the contemporary Indian pacers, showed there is no one better when it comes to getting reverse swing with 50-over old SG Test ball.
Mushfiqur Rahim (43), Bangladesh's top scorer, who led a charmed life and was dropped twice, didn't have a clue when one swung back to knock the stumps back after he was beaten by away going deliveries.
The next one by Shami swung even more as Mehidy Hasan Miraj (0) was adjudged leg-before although a DRS call could have saved him had he opted for one.
In the first session, Shami had dismissed Mohammed Mithun with conventional inswing.
Even without Jasprit Bumrah, who is nursing a stress fracture, the unit looked so formidable that one could sympathise with Bangladeshi batsmen facing their combined might.
They attacked relentlessly and it didn't matter that India weren't exactly having a great day as far as slip catching was concerned. Umesh could have got Mushfiqur early had Kohli latched on to one in the third slip.
Ashwin had both Mushfiqur and Mahmudullah Riyad dropped by Rahane at first slip.
It didn't cost the team much but the frustrated bowler then decided that breaching the defence was the best option as Mominul Haque (36) and Mahmudullah were dismissed due to poor judgement and shot selection respectively.
First he angled one to left-hander Mominul, who thought it will be a conventional off-break and decided to leave the delivery.
To his horror, it came in with the angle to peg the off-stump back.
Mahmudullah was lucky when Rahane dropped a regulation catch at slips but a rank bad shot brought about his downfall.
The right-hander tried to sweep Ashwin from outside the off-stump and in the process was bowled round the legs, leaving all three stumps exposed.
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With 100 days to go, World Cup faces new challenges with Iran war and Mexico violence
Geneva (AP): With 100 days to go until the World Cup, the Iran war has added a new layer of complexity to the tournament co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.
How the conflict will affect the world's most watched sporting event is the latest issue facing organizers already grappling with cartel violence in one of Mexico's host cities, scaled-back plans for fan festivals in the U.S. and criticism from fans against soaring ticket prices.
Officials of the qualified teams are meeting with FIFA staff in Atlanta this week. The tournament kicks off on June 11 when Mexico plays South Africa in Mexico City. It will be the biggest World Cup ever with 48 participating teams, up from 32 at the previous tournament in Qatar.
Here's a look at some of the issues drawing scrutiny as the countdown began.
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A backdrop of geopolitical tension
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It's not unusual for international politics to overshadow a global sports event like the World Cup — at least in the early stages before the soccer action takes over the headlines.
In 2022, Qatar's treatment of migrant workers and the LGBTQ+ community drew headlines off the field. LGBTQ+ rights, the annexation of Crimea and the poisoning of a spy in Britain were in focus when Russia hosted the tournament in 2018.
In Brazil in 2014 and South Africa in 2010 there were concerns about crime and security.
The 2026 tournament looks set to kick off amid a backdrop of political tensions involving the U.S. and the participating nations.
Many have been hit by tariffs. Some are facing travel restrictions. Denmark, which can still qualify through playoffs in March, has been shaken by President Donald Trump's calls for the U.S. to take over Greenland. And with 100 days to go, the U.S. was in a military conflict with Iran, one of the first teams to qualify.
Iran's status at the World Cup is unclear
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Iran is set to play two group stage games in Inglewood, California, and one in Seattle.
However, whether the Iranian team will come to the U.S. is uncertain.
“What is certain is that after this attack, we cannot be expected to look forward to the World Cup with hope,” Iran's top soccer official, Mehdi Taj, said last weekend as the U.S. and Israel launched coordinated attacks that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and dozens more senior officials.
Still, Iran has not announced it is withdrawing from the tournament, which no team that qualified has done in the past 75 years. Iran, the second-highest ranked team in Asia, was drawn in a group with Belgium, Egypt and New Zealand.
FIFA did not immediately respond to a request on whether Iran federation officials attended the Atlanta workshop.
Fan festivals are being slimmed down
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Fan festivals have been a key part of the World Cup experience in the past two decades. They offer a chance for thousands of fans without match tickets to take part in the World Cup atmosphere by coming together to watch games on a big screen.
Some of those plans are now being scaled back in the U.S.
New York/New Jersey eliminated its Fan Fest in Jersey City, New Jersey, even though it had started selling tickets for an event scheduled to be open every day of the tournament.
Planning to sell tickets was itself unprecedented for World Cup fan zones, which were free to enter since being launched at the 2006 edition in Germany.
Seattle cut down its original plan and rescheduled it for smaller venues and Boston trimmed its event to 16 days.
The chief operating officer of Miami's FIFA World Cup host committee said during a congressional hearing on Feb. 24 that it might cancel its event if it did not receive federal funding within 30 days. Kansas City, Missouri, Police Deputy Chief Joseph Maybin said the city had an immediate need for federal funds to prepare security.
House Republicans said federal money may be held up by the partial government shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security, caused by Democrats insisting restrictions be placed on Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
Foxborough games threatened
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The New England Patriots' stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, is due to host seven World Cup games, starting with Haiti-Scotland on June 13 and ending with a quarterfinal on July 9. That is FIFA's plan.
The Select Board of Foxborough has refused to issue a permit for World Cup matches at the stadium and set a March 17 deadline to be paid $7.8 million — what the town estimates will be the cost of police and other expenses. Foxborough said it was not part of FIFA's hosting agreement with Boston.
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Pushback against FIFA's ticket prices
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FIFA has about 7 million seats to fill for the World Cup matches and said last month it received 500 million ticket requests. FIFA president Gianni Infantino has proclaimed all 104 games are sold out and yet some fans received emails last week offering an extra 48-hour window for tickets sales.
FIFA's prices in December ranged up to $8,680 per ticket. After criticism, FIFA said it will offer a few hundred $60 tickets for every game to the 48 national federations in the tournament. Those federations will decide how to distribute them to their most loyal fans who attended previous games.
Most seats on FIFA's ticket resale platform — seeking to cut out the secondary market and earn FIFA extra 15% fees from buyers and sellers — are well past the $1,000 mark.
Cartel violence in Mexico
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Mexico's ability to co-host the World Cup has been under scrutiny after a surge in violence last week in the state of Jalisco following the military's killing of a powerful cartel boss.
The state's capital, Guadalajara, is set to host four matches during the group stage.
Mexico's government insists the World Cup won't be affected and President Claudia Sheinbaum said there's no risk for fans coming to the tournament.
Infantino told Sheinbaum that he has full confidence in Mexico as a World Cup host.
The FIFA leader has repeatedly promised the 2026 World Cup will be the greatest and most inclusive.
