South Zone produced solid batting to take control of the final against North, reaching 298 for three on the second day of the Duleep trophy match in Viaskhapatnam on Thursday. Three South Zone batsmen -- Robin Uthappa (66), S Badrinath (97 not out) and Manish Pandey (74) -- smashed individual half-centuries as they posted a solid reply to North's first innings total of 337 in 70 overs.
The experienced West Zone team will take on a relatively young East Zone in the Duleep Trophy final starting on Saturday
The India Today report claimed that Jaiswal's relationship with Mumbai Captain Ajinkya Rahane had become 'untenable'.
Pujara went into lunch on 92 and hardly wasted any time to reach the landmark upon his return. Pujara hammered Saurabh for a couple of fours, one through the cover and one behind the point fielder, to complete his hundred.
S Badrinath celebrated his India call-up with a fluent 82, while Manish Pandey and R Ashwin also struck half-centuries as South Zone thumped Central Zone by five wickets to sail into the final of the Duleep Trophy in Indore on Friday.
East Zone turned in a disciplined all-round performance to beat West by five wickets and make it to the semi-finals of the Duleep Trophy, in Valsad, on Monday. East will meet North in the semi-final, scheduled to be played in Delhi from February 4.
'The festival of Dussehra is celebrated to mark the day the Pandavas emerged victorious from their exile. Today, on Dussehra, I am equally happy, as Ajay Jadeja has accepted to be my heir,' the current jamsaheb said in a statement.
Skipper Subramanium Badrinath notched up a crucial 136 as South Zone took control of the Duleep Trophy final against North Zone, posting 477 in their first innings in Visakhapatnam on Friday.
Yuvraj Singh made a brilliant comeback into first-class arena as he smashed an unbeaten century for North Zone against Central on the first day of a semi-final match in the Duleep Trophy in Hyderabad.
The Delhi pacer is likely to make his debut in the Mumbai Test.
East Zone lost their top order batsmen after a cautious start and ended a rain-curtailed Day 2 in the Duleep Trophy final against Central Zone on 64 for 3 in Chennai, on Monday.
Orissa all-rounder Biplab Samantray's fine spell kept defending champions East Zone in the hunt for a berth in the Duleep Trophy final. He claimed three wickets for 22 runs in 14.1 overs to have South precariously placed at 134 for 5 at stumps on the second day. Earlier, East were dismissed for 267 in their first innings.
Sri Lanka 'A' were 259 for 4 in their second innings, needing another 81 runs to save an innings defeat against North Zone.
'I strongly feel Mayank needs to grind it out in the domestic season.'
Gritty batting by Chirag Pathak (130) and Yousuf Pathan (84 not out) on Friday brought West Zone back into the game as their Duleep Trophy final against South Zone is heading for an exciting finish.
West Zone breezed into the final of the Duleep Trophy on the basis of a huge 475-run first innings lead after their semi-final against North Zone ended in a tame draw in Rajkot on Friday. Resuming at the overnight score of 56 for 1, West Zone declared their second innings at 345 for 7, a few overs before the start of the mandatory overs.
'Pressure will always be there because in international cricket, you can't take any series lightly.' 'The margin between winning and losing is very small, and nowadays, the gap between international teams isn't much either.'
Wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant has been included in the Test squad for the upcoming two-match series against Bangladesh.
India batter Ishan Kishan on Wednesday returned to the Jharkhand Ranji team as its captain, following his controversial pullout last season
Prithvi Shaw said every run would be very important for him in his endeavour to make a comeback to the Indian team.
The first semi-final of the Duleep Trophy between defending champions East Zone and South Zone is interestingly poised with the former scoring 126 for six in their second innings to enjoy a slender 152-run lead at stumps on day 3 in Visakhapatnam.
Appeared in 61 Tests won by India. Only Sachin Tendulkar (72) and Virat Kohli (62) have been part of a winning XI on more occasions for India.
Mumbai's young batting star Musheer Khan has been ruled out of the upcoming Irani Cup match after suffering a fracture in the neck, in a road accident on the Yamuna Expressway, on Friday.
Hardik Pandya on Thursday posted a video of himself bowling with the red-ball during a training session in England.
BCCI has radical plans to allow participation of overseas players in major domestic tournaments.
Has there existed another cricketer who has been hailed as a spinner, fielder, captain, umpire, selector, and above all, a consummate team man, asks K R Nayar.
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI for the first Test against Bangladesh?
BCCI president Sourav Ganguly said: 'Along with the international home series, the BCCI's domestic tournaments are crucial as they are a stepping stone towards making India a strong international side.'
A round-up of the Ranji Trophy matches played on Saturday.
A round-up of the Ranji Trophy matches played on Saturday.
The young left-arm pacer held his nerve in a tense finish to bowl RCB to a narrow two-run victory in a high-scoring game.
Ratra, a former Indian wicketkeeper-batter, brings with him a wealth of experience and an impressive track record in both domestic and international cricket.
'You can only break through the doors or force the selectors to pick you for the Indian team by scoring runs consistently in domestic cricket and that is what he has done in the last so many years.'
Dravid acknowledged the players' sentiments, urging the BCCI to consult those 'putting their bodies on the line.'
K L Rahul's much-anticipated return to Ranji Trophy lasted a mere 37 balls as the India opener was dismissed for 26, leaving Karnataka at 267/5 against Haryana.
Ravindra Jadeja, Rishabh Pant and pacer Mohammed Siraj too faced local bowlers and significant amount of throwdowns.
The wicket-keeper-batter's comeback to cricket has been nothing sort of miraculous. He could barely walk around a year back but hours and hours of relentless rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy helped him make a remarkable comeback to cricket earlier this year in the IPL.
Usually, taking two wickets against a strong North Zone would leave any 17-year-old bowler with a wide smile. But Jotin Singh's smile had a tinge of nervousness.
'We want to look at the future and try and make sure we get the right guys in as well.'
Fans and experts questioned the logic behind repeatedly including Easwaran in squads without ever giving him a real opportunity
