Axar Patel brought India D back into the game with a counter-attacking 86 following a disastrous start before picking up two timely wickets against India C for a standout effort on Day 1
'He return to Australia for this tour in form and a man Australia fears, an unthinkable prospect when he was bailed up in hospital unable to walk.'
The Mumbai batter lit the Chinnaswamy stadium with his brilliant batting.
Having stuttered in the chase, Parag's yet another quickfire knock -- 95 from 65 balls with eight fours and five sixes -- revived East Zone's hopes of turning the tables on South Zone.
North Zone openers Jiwanjot Singh and Unmukt Chand made a cautious start as they reached 33 for no loss against East Zone with only 17 overs of play possible on a rain-curtailed first day of the Duleep Trophy semi-final in Kochi.
'Cricket is like a circle, the smaller you keep it, the better it will be. You expand this circle more and you will find gaps.'
For the team management, it is a choice between a younger man's (Sarfaraz) flamboyance and fearlessness versus a seasoned campaigner who has been a Test captain and is part of the national set-up for a decade now.
T20 World Cup-winner Arshdeep Singh doesn't like fretting over the future or dwelling on the past. The left-arm pacer prefers to embrace the present.
Easwaran compiled an unbeaten 151 off 212 balls, and laced his innings with 12 fours and a six on the third day of the match at the Ekana Cricket Stadium.
Akash Deep, the latest addition to India's ever-growing pace battery, on Wednesday credited skipper Rohit Sharma for his seamless transition from domestic to international cricket and said the exceptional work ethics of the legends in the team inspire him to push himself even harder.
'If you do well, stay humble. If you don't do well, go back to the basics.'
In a rare act, West Zone skipper Ajinkya Rahane ordered his teammate Yashasvi Jaiswal to leave the field for disciplinary reasons.
'...whether he is a top player or not, it doesn't matter.' 'If I go by a player's name I won't be able to bowl at my best.' 'For me he is just a batter, and my only focus is where I need to land the ball.'
In the absence of the Army, the BCCI may not consider a depleted Services side worthy of participation at the national level, notes Air Marshal Pramod Vasant Athawale (retd).
Umesh Yadav recalled the Duleep Trophy 2008-09 match between Central Zone and South Zone in which he was up against Dravid and Laxman.
Virat Kohli spent about 45 minutes in the nets and pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah bowled full tilt as the Indian cricket team on Friday began its preparations
Shreyas Iyer on Saturday expressed his desire to make a comeback to the Indian Test squad, emphasising the hard work he has put into cultivating patience and resilience for the longer format after undergoing a back surgery.
The BCCI had mandated all international players, except for seniors like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah, to play in tournaments such as Ranji and Duleep Trophy when they are not busy with national commitments, the move highlighting the board's emphasis on the role of domestic cricket.
After the accident and the kind of rehabilitation that he had to go through, this knock will be right up there, says Rishabh Pant's coach Devender Sharma.
Priyank Panchal smashed an unbeaten 99 off 69 balls as West Zone coasted to a comfortable nine-wicket victory
On August 9, the Mumbai batter had made a magnificent 244 off 153 balls and that innings contained 28 boundaries and 11 sixes to guide Northamptonshire to an 87-run win over Somerset.
Late last month in Kolkata, Shami expressed a desire to first play for Bengal before making his return to the national team. He also participated informally in motivational and fitness sessions with state players.
Ishan Kishan alongwith a few others will check into the National Cricket Academy ahead of the Windies tour
Ashwin proved to be a force to be reckoned with. Not only did he contribute significantly with the ball, claiming crucial wickets, but he also played a pivotal role with the bat, scoring a valuable century.
Agni Chopra domination of bowlers, which has seen his average touching Bradmanesque-levels, has come in the Plate League so far, and Agni nourishes the dream of getting into Elite League with Mizoram.
'The most important thing is that they will always have my back. Aim to make it a happy and secure dressing room.'
So, what are the options that India can look forward to?
In order to raise the ever dwindling number of spectators in the stadium, the BCCI is all set to host its first-ever Day/Night cricket Test with pink ball when New Zealand tour India later this year. "We have decided that we will play one Day/Night Test match with pink ball against New Zealand later this year. Before that Duleep Trophy will act as a dress rehearsal for the Day/Night Test match," BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur told a select gathering of mediapersons at the BCCI's headquarters in New Delhi on Thursday. Thakur said that the main objective of the Duleep Trophy will be to check how the pink kookaburra behaves under the light in sub-continental conditions. "While we have not zeroed in on the venue, there are lots of factors that need to be taken into account. Things like dew factor, how the spinners bowl with the pink kookaburra on Indian pitches. These things we will get an idea during the Duleep Trophy," said Thakur.
India batsman Ajinkya Rahane is excited at the prospect of playing with pink ball in the Duleep Trophy tournament later this year.
Ranji Trophy champions Mumbai will play against Rest of India in the Zal Irani Cup from October 22-26.
Cheteshwar Pujara's love affair with the English summer continued as he scored his second List A ton in three games.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni will lead a full strength India squad for the two-match Twenty20 series against the West Indies in the United States on August 27 and 28.
'Obviously, he brings a lot of good things to the Test side. Not only from the batting point of view, but from the keeping point of view as well.'
The 39 year-old has played 86 Tests, 117 ODIs and 44 T20Is for South Africa with a total of 544 international wickets.
During Monday's net session, Bumrah repeatedly made short work of the batter often sending his off-stump cart-wheeling for fun
There was poor communication and complete mismanagement between the stadium authority and the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB). Rain had affected the buildup to the Test, the first between the two nations, with New Zealand not being able to complete a single practice session properly.
The national selection committee on Thursday picked up a fourth string 14-member Board President's XI squad for the warm-up game against Australia, making it clear that Yuvraj Singh is now not a part of even the top 74 cricketers in the country.
The middle-order batsman will play in the Central - North Zone Duleep Trophy match in Aurangabad frm November 4.
