Munaf Patel's five-wicket haul went in vain as table toppers Mumbai Indians produced a spineless batting display and slumped to a humiliating 76-run defeat at the hands of Kings XI Punjab in an Indian Premier League match in Mohali on Tuesday.
Suresh Raina has been named captain of the India Blue team for the Duleep Trophy, which will be held in Kanpur and Lucknow from September 7 to 29, providing him a platform to make a return to the Indian team.
A round-up of Day 1 of the Ranji Trophy matches played on Thursday.
Opener Kraigg Brathwaite continued his good run with another splendid century while Narasingh Deonaraine cracked a flamboyant 93 as the second unofficial Test between India 'A' and West Indies 'A' ended in a tame draw in Shimoga
India A conceded a slender 47-run first-innings lead to the West Indies A despite a fighting half-century by Uday Kaul on the third day of the second unofficial Test in Shimoga.
Veteran pacer Zaheer Khan's sensational three-wicket burst helped India 'A' crush West Indies 'A' by an innings and 54 runs in the third and final unofficial Test to level the three-match series, in Hubli.
A round-up of Ranji Trophy matches played on Friday
On a day of fluctuating fortunes, West Indies 'A' batted brilliantly in the first two sessions and the India 'A' bowlers fought back strongly in the last session, to share the honours at the end of Day 1 in the third unofficial 'Test' at KSCA stadium in Hubli on Wednesday.
Virender Sehwag's experiment to bat in the middle-order failed, and Gautam Gambhir's woeful run of form continued, as India 'A' were restricted to 191 for 3 at stumps on the second day of the second unofficial 'Test' against West Indies 'A', at the Jawaharlal Nehru National College of Engineering cricket ground, in Shimoga, on Thursday.
Dinesh Karthik followed up on his 92 in the first innings with a match-saving 103 not out in the second to help Tamil Nadu walk away with one point against Bengal in their Ranji Trophy Group A match at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Thursday.