Abhimanyu Easwaran stepped out of his crease for what seemed like a routine drinks break. He was unaware that the ball was still live and paid the price for a rare lapse in concentration against Services.
Fans and experts questioned the logic behind repeatedly including Easwaran in squads without ever giving him a real opportunity
Sudip Gharami's second successive hundred guided Bengal to 249 for 5 against Jammu and Kashmir on the opening day of the Ranji Trophy semi-final, in Kalyani, on Sunday.
Shami grabs three but J&K need 131 more to take first innings lead
Bengal seized momentum with late wickets after Mukesh Kumar's spells, leaving their Ranji Trophy quarterfinal against Andhra evenly poised at 264/6 on the first day.
Jammu and Kashmir and Uttarakhand will look to extend their dream runs when they take on heavyweights Bengal and Karnataka respectively in the Ranji Trophy semifinals.
Auqib Nabi's all-round performance puts Jammu and Kashmir on the brink of their first-ever Ranji Trophy final, after they bowled out Bengal for a mere 99 runs in their second innings.
UP batters, spinners overpower Hyderabad by 84 runs in Vijay Hazare opener
Shami, Akash Deep in Bengal's Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy squad
Karnataka on shaky ground against Punjab despite Rahul's fifty; Desai puts Saurashtra on cusp of win
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.
Mumbai, Karnataka brace for 'mini India' showdown in marquee Ranji QF match
Mumbai recovered from a batting collapse to take a 136-run lead over Karnataka on Day 2 of their Ranji Trophy quarter-final.
Ranji Trophy: MP enter quarterfinals; Saurashtra on brink of qualification
India will be desperate for a quality replacement for the crucial No. 4 slot with Shubman Gill likely to be ruled out for the must-win second and final Test against South Africa.
Nitish Reddy fails with bat as Vidarbha take first-innings lead against Andhra
Mohammed Siraj returned 17-3-56-4 to help Hyderabad bowl Chhattisgarh out for 283 on Day 1 of their Group D Ranji Trophy contest, in Hyderabad, on Thursday.
Ranji Trophy champions Vidarbha left Rest of India (RoI) reeling at 142 for 5 as bad light forced early close of Day 2 in their Irani Cup match, in Nagpur, on Thursday.
Cameron Green is tipped to surpass fellow-Australian Mitchell Starc (Rs 24.75 crore) and command the highest price by an overseas player but he won't take home more than Rs 18 crore.
Talented wicketkeeper-batter Abishek Porel has been named vice-captain, while the pace department will receive a major boost with the inclusion of India fast bowling duo of Mohammed Shami and Akash Deep.
Easwaran has been a domestic cricket stalwart for Bengal, with 107 first-class games, 8,070 runs at an average of 48.32 with the help of 27 centuries and 33 fifties.
Ranji Trophy champions Vidarbha took firm control of the Irani Cup, seizing a healthy first-innings lead and then consolidating it with a solid batting effort in their second essay against Rest of India at the VCA Stadium, in Nagpur, on Friday.
Veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has expressed surprise over Sarfaraz Khan's omission from India A squads for the home series against South Africa, calling the decision unfair.
Past is past, focussed on leading Bengal now: Abhimanyu Easwaran on India snub
Rishabh Pant is making a comeback to competitive cricket after recovering from his foot injury.
Shami puts Bengal on top of points table with easy win vs Services
With no foreign tours for the next one year, Easwaran's Test debut looks unlikely with N Jagadeesan being looked at as a potential third opener.
Bihar's teen sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi, aged just 14, blasted an 84-ball 190 to become the youngest List-A centurion ever. His captain Sakibul Gani, then upstaged him with a 40-ball 128 not out -- the fastest List-A century by an Indian.
'The No. 3 spot can't become a game of musical chairs.'
Shubman Gill might just want to be fit enough to bat, as even a half-fit skipper is seen as more effective than Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran or Sarfaraz Khan.
Domestic veterans Ruturaj Gaikwad, Rajat Patidar and Rinku Singh could keep the team management interested going forward in Test cricket.
Abhimanyu Easwaran made the future path all the more tough with his second duck of the match, while Sai Sudharsan concluded his lukewarm preparation for the South Africa Test series with an underwhelming 23 off 38 balls.
It was also his third hundred in the last seven innings after going past three digits against Australia A at Lucknow and the West Indies at Ahmedabad.
A round-up of Sunday's action in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy group stage matches.
And ahead of the 4th Test, some members of the Indian team went all out at a gym training session.
India A skipper Rishabh Pant will look to build on the gains from the first match, while the likes of Mohammed Siraj and Kuldeep Yadav will aim for crucial red-ball game time in the second four-day match against a Temba Bavuma-led South Africa A in Bengaluru from Thursday.
India wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel, who played in the fifth and final Test at The Oval against England in their last assignment, has been named Iyer's deputy.
Karnataka, Maharashtra register innings wins to go 1-2 in Group B of Ranji Tropphy.
N Jagadeesan hit an unbeaten half-century to lead India A' confident reply in Australia A's huge first innings total on Day 2 of the first unofficial Test.
'He was disturbed after not being picked for the fifth Test, he was expecting that call.'
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