'Working (hard) every day is important, because then I'll become consistent. When I was dropped from playing XI in IPL, every day I was working with Zubin sir (Zubin Bharucha, director of cricket at RR) and training really well with support staff like Raj Muni and Yogesh. Zubin sir was keeping me motivated all the time.'
Vidarbha took command of their Ranji Trophy semi-final against Madhya Pradesh with the key wicket of Yash Dubey (94) late on Day 4.
The Indian men ruled white-ball cricket, while South Africa ended decades of hurt by winning the World Test Championship at Lord's. Royal Challengers Bengaluru finally lifted their maiden IPL title, though the celebrations were dimmed by a deadly stampede. Above all, it was India's women who won a billion hearts by finally adding an ICC World Cup trophy to the cabinet.
A round-up of the Ranji Trophy matches played on Friday.
This century marked Shankar's 11th first-class ton and second of the season.
Shreyas Iyer, Prithvi Shaw and Ajinkya Rahane flopped with the bat as defending champions Mumbai were shocked by Baroda by 84 runs.
'We are not the best side in domestic cricket, we are not the best side in terms of skill sets or in terms of match-winners, but I think we are the best when it comes to being a unit, when it comes to playing like a family.'
Domestic heavyweights Mumbai ended their eight-year barren run to lift a record-extending 42nd Ranji Trophy title on Thursday
Kolkata and Bengaluru will conduct the two semi-finals, while the four quarter-finals will be at Cuttack, Indore, Lahli and Jaipur.
Stead, who guided New Zealand to the WTC title, T20 World Cup final in 2021, 2019 ODI World Cup final and 2025 Champions Trophy title clash, is now entrusted with the task of giving a fillip to Andhra cricket.
Following India's emphatic eight-wicket victory over New Zealand in the third T20I, leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi said he focused on bowling in the right areas and worked extensively on his lengths after enduring a difficult Indian Premier League (IPL) season last year. Bishnoi delivered an impressive spell of 2/18 in four overs, playing a key role in restricting New Zealand to 153/9 in 20 overs. His disciplined bowling effort laid the foundation for India's dominant win in Guwahati. Speaking during the post-match press conference, Bishnoi said he worked closely with his coaches at home in Jodhpur after being left out of the Indian T20I side. The leg-spinner added that playing matches in the Vijay Hazare, Syed Mushtaq and Ranji Trophy tournaments has helped him to make a comeback. "It's always difficult when you are away from the side. You feel like you should be there, but you aren't. I had time to work on my own bowling. I worked a lot. I worked with my coaches at home in Jodhpur. Then I played domestic matches again. I played a few matches in the Vijay Hazare, Syed Mushtaq and Ranji Trophy tournaments. All those things helped me a lot to come back," Bishnoi said. The 24-year-old further stated that he consciously tried to bowl in the right areas and adapt his rhythm according to match conditions. "I was trying to bowl in the right areas. It depends on my rhythm on the given day. I have worked on my lengths. I didn't have a good IPL last season. I was a bit nervous and excited," he added. On Abhishek Sharma's blistering batting performance, Bishnoi said, "The way Abhishek is batting, India needs this. He practices a lot. Hope he continues this form for a long time." Sharma made an outstanding unbeaten 68 runs in just 20 balls, including seven fours and five sixes at a strike rate of 340. Abhishek Sharma's fifty, paired with Suryakumar Yadav's blistering unbeaten 57 off 26 balls, propelled India to a convincing eight-wicket win, chasing down 154 runs in just 10 overs. With this victory, India also took the five-match T20I series, winning all three T20Is.
Former India captain Mohammad Azharuddin criticised Bangladesh' refusal to play T20 World Cup matches in India, calling the security concerns unfounded.
The BCCI wants feedback on the tournament's new format.
Interestingly, eager to play under domestic coach Chandrakant Pandit to revive his international career, Vihari was mulling a move to Madhya Pradesh before the start of the season.
Jaydev Unadkat claimed a match haul of nine wickets, including 6/85 in the second innings, as Saurashtra thrashed Bengal by nine wickets in the Ranji Trophy final.
Saurashtra all but ensured Delhi's exit from Ranji Trophy with a 10-wicket victory inside two days in Group D, in Rajkot, on Friday.
A round-up of the Ranji Trophy matches played on Saturday.
Batting great Rahul Dravid said having a stand named after him at his home ground -- the M Chinnaswamy stadium in Bengaluru -- means a lot for his family especially his late father Sharad, who was instrumental in him taking up cricket.
Mumbai's slender first-innings lead against Baroda propelled them into the semi-finals of the Ranji Trophy.
Security arrangements would be beefed up in and around the capital's Arun Jaitley Stadium for the final day of the Ranji Trophy Group D match between Delhi and Jammu and Kashmir following a high-intensity blast near the Red Fort, which is just kilometres away from the stadium in New Delhi.
It takes a lot of mental strength to play in front of nearly 100,000 people in Ahmedabad. Even the bravest can succumb to the tension.
Mumbai will play Tamil Nadu at home while Vidarbha will host Madhya Pradesh in Nagpur in the Ranji Trophy semifinals, starting from Saturday.
Jammu and Kashmir are in sight of a historic victory over Delhi in Ranji Trophy as they require 124 runs on the final day which promises to produce an engaging day of cricket, considering a crumbling Feroz Shah Kotla track where finger spinners are ruling the roost.
Skipper Ayush Badoni played the most defining knock of his short but eventful first-class career as his maiden double hundred not only gave Delhi three points against Jharkhand but more importantly kept them in contention for a possible quarter-final berth in the Ranji Trophy on Saturday.
'After the media exchanges between Ajit Agarkar and Mohammad Shami last week, newly-appointed selector R P Singh is at Eden Gardens for the Bengal vs Gujarat clash. The World T20 winner spoke to Shami at length after the day's play today.'
Karnataka on Tuesday named internationals K L Rahul, Prasidh Krishna, and Karun Nair in the probables list for the upcoming Ranji Trophy season.
A belligerent century from India all-rounder Shivam Dube brought Mumbai back into the contest against Uttar Pradesh.
Sarfaraz Khan and Siddhesh Lad compiled superlative hundreds to power table-toppers Mumbai to a commanding 332 for 4 on Day 1 of their Ranji Trophy match against hosts Hyderabad on Thursday.
Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association (MPCA) on Sunday said it is ready to host the premier Ranji Trophy as well as the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament and has already informed the BCCI about its decision.
The Jharkhand team has qualified for the knockout stages of the Ranji Trophy but till date Dhoni has not given any indication that he would like to play.
Sarfaraz Khan doesn't need India A exposure tours and series to play international cricket as the middle-order India batter can find his way back into the Test side with runs in domestic cricket, said India all-rounder Shardul Thakur on Friday.
This year, Rajat led RCB to their maiden IPL title in 18 years and recently was crucial to the Central Zone's Duleep Trophy triumph for the first time since 2014-15.
Sarfaraz Khan: No frustration at all, I don't think I need to change anything with my batting
Former India bowling coach Paras Mhambrey praises India's dominant run in the ongoing T20 World Cup, highlighting squad depth and the importance of peaking at the right time.
Rinku smashed a career-best 176 runs from 247 balls, his 100 coming off 157 balls against Tamil Nadu on Wednesday.
Mohammed Shami was once ignored for the upcoming two-Test series against South Africa, despite having proved his fitness in the ongoing Ranji Trophy.
The defending champions retained the title by virtue of their first innings lead against Tamil Nadu in the Elite championship final.
The restricted version of DRS to be used in Ranji Trophy knockout matches will not be comprising of Hawk-Eye and UltraEdge.
IMAGES from the Ranji Trophy final played between Mumbai and Vidarbha at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday.
A round-up of Day 2 of the Ranji Trophy matches played on Sunday
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances