Test Match Breakfast takes a look at some of the biggest issues around cricket during England’s huge fourth Test against India at Old Trafford.
Ahead of the crunch fourth game of the five-match series, RICHARD GIBSON discusses how India’s players questioning Ruben Amorim, the snooker star’s grandson that came to England’s rescue, and the rivalry that one pundit thinks has surpasses The Ashes.
Amorim gets grilled
Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim was the subject of a tactical interrogation when India’s cricketers dropped into the club’s Carrington training base last weekend.
All but KL Rahul of India’s touring squad were present on Sunday, including several football nuts, meaning that Amorim was ambushed by Kuldeep Yadav, a lifelong Liverpool fan.
‘I have been following him since Sporting Lisbon. I asked him a few questions, tactics-wise, whether he is going to stick with the 3-4-3 this season,’ Yadav said, without revealing the answer.
Ruben Amorim was grilled by India players at Man United’s Carrington training base this week
The two teams met up ahead of the Test at Lancashire’s Old Trafford in Manchester this week
Yuldeep Yadav – a Liverpool fan – took the opportunity to ask Amorim about his tactics
India captain Shubman Gill added: ‘Meeting top athletes from another sport is something we all enjoy and it was interesting to see how different the sport is but how similar the mind-set is.
‘A lot of the players are big Man Utd fans and it was great to be able to meet them and share our thoughts on each other’s sports.’
You’re snookered!
Jimmy White’s grandson came to the rescue just as England Under-19s might have been thinking they needed snookers against their Indian opponents.
At 170 for one, India Under-19s looked on course for a healthy first-innings lead at Chelmsford, but Ralphie Albert, a slow left-armer with Surrey, took six wickets in a row to catalyse a slump to 279 all out, handing England a surprise lead in the process.
It was a performance to live up to his granddad’s nickname of Whirlwind, earned for a style of play that took him to six World Championship finals.
Jimmy White’s grandson Ralphie Albert came to the rescue for England’s Under-19 side
Ashes – to dust
Ravi Shastri reckons that despite its 143-year history, the Ashes has now been surpassed in its rivalry by India v Australia series.
The two countries attracted a record attendance of 373,691 at last winter’s Boxing Day Test in Melbourne and Shastri says it would take topping that tally to show his estimation is wrong.
‘In the last 10 years, India v Australia has taken off. It has produced some series,’ ex-India coach Shastri said.
‘This year, you’ve got record crowds into the MCG for Boxing Day. The largest number of people that came in since Don Bradman’s team in 1936.
‘Now, I think that the Ashes will get a lot of people, but to upstage that you have to have a great series and probably the best crowd ever.’
Ticket sales made a strong start, with more than 50,000 being snapped up by England fans for the series in the first 24 hours.
Keep an eye on the weather
Interest in this series has been stoked by a trio of fifth evening finishes and a mid-match flashpoint at Lord’s.
It led Lancashire to do something they only previously offered for Ashes matches, placing day five tickets on sale in advance at a cost of £26 for anywhere in the ground.
More than 8,000 of the 21,500 available were taken by the time India left a wet Old Trafford on Tuesday, with the intervention of rain this week increasing the likelihood that purchasers will see play on Sunday.
Tickets for day five at Old Trafford are now on sale at a cost of £26 for anywhere in the ground
Ravi Shastri has claimed that Australia’s rivalry with India has now surpassed The Ashes
Greats honoured
Two of Lancashire’s greats are being honoured with the opening of the renamed B Stand at Emirates Old Trafford on Wednesday morning.
From now on it will be known as the Sir Clive Lloyd and Farokh Engineer Stand, re-christened to carry the names of the two overseas players signed by the club in 1968.
The recruitment of the former West Indies great and wicketkeeper-batsman Engineer, who played 46 Tests for India, coincided with a sustained period of success for Lancashire.
During nine years together on the playing staff, they won four Gillette Cups and two John Player League titles.
