India's woes in the ongoing series against Australia compounded with embattled skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni being handed a one-match ban for slow over rate during the Perth Test that rules him out of the fourth and final Test in Adelaide.
Delhi Capitals have made the perfect start to IPL, with two morale-boosting victories, while SunRisers Hyderabad are the only side yet to register a win in the tournament, having lost both their games.
Ajinkya Rahane said it is a proud moment for him to captain India ahead of the the second Test match against Australia, starting in Melbourne, from Saturday.
Opener Mayank Agarwal hit a gritty hundred to rescue India after New Zealand left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel had put them in a spot of bother with three quick wickets on the weather-hit first day of the second and final Test, at the Wankhede stadium, in Mumbai, on Friday.
The Indian selectors named left-arm pacer Zaheer Khan in the 17-member squad for the tour of Australia, which begins on December 26, in Mumbai, on Saturday.
Chennai Super Kings' incredible run at home continued as the defending champions defeated Kochi Tuskers Kerala by 11 runs in their penultimate encounter of the Indian Premier League at the Chepauk on Wednesday.
Wriddhiman Saha, on nine, and Ravichandran Ashwin, who is 15 not out, will return on Friday hoping to continue India's march towards the 300-mark.
In a statement by BCCI secretary Jay Shah, 'the move was made considering the monsoon season in India in the months of September-October this year'.
'Everyone's there just to criticise the young man and there is so much pressure on the poor guy.'
Also giving the training a miss were first Test double centurion Mayank Agarwal and wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha.
IMAGES from the IPL 2022 game between Punjab Kings and Gujarat Titans in Navi Mumbai on Tuesday.
Wriddhiman Saha continued in his rich vein of form and struck a brilliant 170, which put East Zone in a commanding position against Central Zone at stumps, on the second day of the Duleep Trophy final in Indore, on Monday. Replying to Central's meagre 133, East were all out for 370 in their first innings, a sizeable lead of 237 runs.
Bengal speedsters Ashok Dinda and Mohammed Shami Ahmed bowled at a brisk pace to shot Central Zone out for a paltry 133, on the first day of the Duleep Trophy final at the Holkar Stadium, in Indore on Sunday.
Stand-in captain Gautam Gambhir won the toss and elected to bat against Northamptonshire in their practice game at the county's ground on Friday. Opener Gambhir is leading the side even though skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni is part of the team. He may not keep wickets for entire duration, as reserve 'keeper Wriddhiman Saha is also in the team.
In a series which has been disastrous to say the least, not many expect Wriddhiman Saha to script a success story for India in the final Test against Australia next week but the Bengal youngster might turn out to be a pleasant surprise.
When Virat Kohli enforced the follow-on on West Indies, it was only the eighth time West Indies were asked to follow-on at home.
After resuming on 70 for 1, India A added 229 runs at the expense of seven wickets as the visitors were placed at 299 for 8 at stumps on Day 2 at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium. India A had bowled out the home side for 228 on the first day.
Mayank Agarwal's fight to reclaim his place in Indian Test eleven starts on Tuesday when he walks out to open in a three-day game against County Select XI, starting in Durham on Tuesday as best friend KL Rahul gears up to keep wickets in Rishabh Pant's absence.
Gujarat Titans have been firing on all cylinders, with their batting prowess and bowling might.
A pool of 346 cricketers will go under the hammer at the IPL Player Auction in Jaipur on December 18.
The five-time champions posted a series of tweets and shared the travel plans of its players and support staff.
Australia pacer Pat Cummins believes the IPL organisers, in hindsight, could have 'tweaked a few things' after deciding to host the league in India amidst a raging COVID-19 pandemic.
KL Rahul, who is having a good run with the bat in the Test series against the West Indies, says the unbroken century partnership between R Ashwin and Wriddhiman Saha could prove to be crucial to the outcome of the ongoing third Test in St Lucia. India lead the four-match series 1-0. India were in trouble at 126 for five before Ashiwn and (75 not out) and Saha (46 not out) engineered the rescue act.
The BCCI tweeted photographs of the Indian contingent before departure with the players sporting customised PPE kits for travel amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The career statistics of 15-member squad - overall, in India and against New Zealand.
It will be a test of wits between two new captains in Ravindra Jadeja and Hardik Pandya when defending champions Chennai Super Kings clash with debutants Gujarat Titans in the IPL match in Pune on Sunday.
Rajneesh Gupta presents some interesting numbers from Day 4:
Indian cricket in 2022 was chaotic, to say the least and messy at most of the time both on and off the field.
India were forced to name a depleted squad for the first Test against South Africa after Rahul Dravid, Yuvraj Singh and S Sreesanth were ruled out due to injuries, sustained during the recently-concluded tour of Bangladesh. Karnataka fast bowler Abhimanyu Mithun was rewarded for an outstanding performance in domestic matches last season, while Bengal wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha was a surprise inclusion, in place of Dinesh Karthik, in the 15-man squad.
A battle royale is on the cards when Hardik Pandya's Gujarat Titans take on the Sanju Samson-led Rajasthan Royals, two line-ups armed with potent bowling units in a top-of-the-table IPL showdown at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Thursday.
'We always observe each other's wicket-keeping. We work hard in our practice sessions and have a good understanding and co-ordination among ourselves. We always try to point out each other's mistakes. It's been going well so far'
Following Monday's selection, Rajneesh Gupta presents the Test career figures of the touring party along with the players' performance against Australia.
Mumbai, Punjab, Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh and Bengal advance to QFs
Indian wicketkeeper-batsman Wriddhiman Saha is actually nursing a career-threatening shoulder problem caused by a 'bungled' rehabilitation programme at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru, a top BCCI official claimed.
His selection in the Indian team may have raised quite a few eyebrows but Wriddhiman Saha is hardly bothered by what sceptics think about him.
Parthiv Patel doesn't want to put himself under unnecessary pressure that he will be keeping in place of Mahendra Singh Dhoni and opening with Gautam Gambhir in place of Virender Sehwag.
Wriddhiman Saha struck timely form with an attacking century and also put on a fighting, 203-run unbroken partnership with captain Cheteshwar Pujara to push Rest of India firmly towards the winning target on day four of the Irani Cup game against Gujarat on Monday.
Both batsmen batted fearlessly and played the balls on merit. They took minimal risks, yet their attacking batting was wonderful to watch.
Jadeja was hit on his left thumb as he looked to defend a rising delivery from Australia quick Mitchell Starc.
Norma Astrid Godinho picks her IPL 2022 Dream XI, an unbeatable combination that could give the very best a run for their money...
