In a team that mostly includes aggressive stroke-players, the 22-year-old Rahul's fortitude makes him just the right choice. The fact that he played in Australian conditions in recent times, having opened for India 'A', will be an added advantage.
A summary of Friday's action in the Ranji Trophy matches across the country.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru's fairytale resurgent run will be up against the might of five-time champions Chennai Super Kings and the weather gods when the two sides clash in an epic do-or-die match to decide the fourth and final team for the IPL play-offs, in Bengaluru on Saturday.
Rajasthan Royals will face a stern test of character as they look to arrest a shocking slide in a do-or-die IPL Eliminator against an in-form RCB.
Chasing a paltry 174, India A were 90 for six at one stage before Shardul (40 off 32 balls) and then Karn (38 no, 49 balls) guided the team to victory in just over 32 overs.
Flower batted for the 'Impact Player' rule saying that it allows two Indian players to participate in a game.
Railways leg-spinner Karn Sharma is ecstatic after his maiden call-up in the Indian Test team and is looking forward towards a chance to meet the legendary leg-spinner Shane Warne during the upcoming Test series against Australia Down Under.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru's IPL campaign that began with optimism has melted into chaos. Their bowlers require a drastic transformation in mindset against Sunrisers Hyderabad for them to register an elusive win in Bengaluru on Monday.
Hardik Pandya has quit Gujarat Titans to rejoin his former team Mumbai Indians, following a trade between the two franchises.
Check out the Sunrisers Hyderabad squad for the eighth edition of the Indian Premier League.
Television stars celebrate Raksha Bandhan with their siblings.
The KKR think-tank might not be unduly worried as their campaign is still at a nascent stage, but they would like to see the first-choice pacer and spinner finding their range at the earliest.
Shahrukh, who was dismantling the RCB attack with his big hitting, was left speechless by Siraj's perfectly executed yorker. The delivery, clocked at a searing 140 kph, possessed just enough late reverse swing to find the gap between bat and pad. It sent Shahrukh's middle and off stumps flying, bringing a screeching halt to his blistering knock.
IMAGES from the Indian Premier League match played between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Gujarat Titans in Bengaluru, on Saturday.
Desperate Royal Challengers Bengaluru will be under tremendous pressure to get their act together against an equally struggling Mumbai Indians when the two teams face-off in an Indian Premier League match in Mumbai on Thursday.
The Bengaluru outfit will hope for a reversal at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium, a venue that carries similar traits as RCB's home -- Chinnaswamy Stadium -- in terms of a smooth pitch and a blistering outfield adding value to the batters' shots.
Kohli has not played competitive cricket in almost two months after opting out of the recently-concluded Test series against England at home
Green pocketed just one wicket, but his tight overs put the necessary pressure on the DC scoreboard as the match slipped away from the visitors.
Eight franchises collectively spent Rs 91.15 crore to buy 66 players from a pool of 350 plus that went under the hammer.
Sunil Gavaskar believes that the first hour of the second day is crucial for both teams.
Chennai Super Kings skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni slammed his batsmen for lack of boundaries in the last three overs.
"I'm very excited and happy that Chennai Super Kings have given me the opportunity to play under Mahi bhai (MS Dhoni). He's a great captain and knows how to extract the best from his players. I hope to learn a lot under him," Sharma was quoted as saying by the CSK website.
IMAGES from the IPL match between Gujarat Titans and Royal Challengers Bengaluru played in Ahmedabad on Sunday
'He (Rahul) pulled his hip flexor, I guess. I do not know how bad it is'
Kolkata Knight Riders captain Shreyas Iyer admitted that it is "tough to stay calm" in nail-biting matches like as their one-run win over Royal Challengers Bengaluru, in Kolkata on Sunday, but was a relieved man after the team garner two crucial points.
An all-charged up Virat Kohli took the field as the RCB bowlers put up a spirited performance to guide their team to a thumping 67 run victory against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Indian cricket captain Rohit Sharma has expressed his reservations about certain clauses in the BCCI's new disciplinary guidelines, particularly the restriction on families accompanying players on long tours. The guidelines, reportedly prepared at the behest of head coach Gautam Gambhir, have sparked debate within the team, with Sharma indicating he will discuss the matter with the BCCI secretary.
The absence of an attacking spin bowler in the Indian side is hurting the visiting team's chances.
With five consecutive defeats, bottom-placed RCB have the daunting task of winning their remaining seven games to keep their play-off prospects alive.
Nasir Hossain turned in a fine all-round show as Bangladesh 'A' scored a 65-run victory over India 'A' in the second One-dayer and levelled the three-match series, in Bengaluru, on Friday. The 23-year-old all-rounder first hit an unbeaten hundred and then destroyed the home side with a five-wicked haul as Mominul Haque's side avenged the 96-run defeat in the first game, at the M Chinnaswamy stadium.
Opting to field after Rohit Sharma won the toss, Mumbai bowled out Kolkata for a paltry 107 in 18.5 overs, and then chased down the target with 33 balls to spare at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Shardul Thakur replaced spinner Axar Patel, who was transferred to the list of standby players.
Pushed into a tight corner, Royal Challengers Bengaluru rose above their frailties to notch four wins on the trot and stay alive in the race to play-offs. However, a volatile Delhi Capitals offer them a different challenge in their penultimate IPL league match in Bengaluru on Sunday.
Images from the IPL 2023 match between Royal Challengers and Bangalore and Lucknow Super Giants played at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Monday
Whether it was promoting Sam Curran to the opener's slot or finishing pacer Deepak Chahar's quota upfront while using seven bowlers to dry up runs, every move produced desired result.
Virat Kohli began training with the Delhi team on Tuesday ahead of his eagerly-awaited Ranji Trophy comeback after a 12-year gap.
IMAGES from the IPL 2023 match between Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bangalore in Jaipur on Sunday
Rajat Patidar and Axar Patel struck half-centuries in a match dominated by the bowlers.
Images from Sunday night's IPL game between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Mumbai medium pacer Dhawal Kulkarni, who has played four ODIs for India (8 wickets), was named as a replacement for the injured Mohammed Shami in the One-day squad.
