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.
K L Rahul and B Sai Sudharsan struck sublime hundreds as India A registered a stunning five-wicket win over Australia A while hunting down a target of 413 to seal the two-match unofficial Test series 1-0, in Lucknow, on Friday.
Opener Rajat Patidar smashed an unbeaten fifty, while Manav Suthar took three wickets as India 'A' displayed a collective effort
Bharat was solid on both flanks as nine off his 15 fours came off the two spinners and were mostly hit on the on-side. He got an able ally in Suthar, who applied himself well and by tea time, even England Lions knew that they have lost an opportunity to win a first-class game on an Indian track.
England Lions continued to dominate India A despite a rollicking unbeaten hundred from Rajat Patidar on the second day of their first unofficial Test in Ahmedabad on Thursday.
Gujarat captain Chintan Gaja and spinner Vishal Jayswal shared seven wickets between them to bowl out Himachal Pradesh for 215 on the opening day of the Ranji Trophy match.
Sarfaraz Khan missed out on a hundred by just four runs as India A and England Lions played out a draw.
Pant's gritty fifty keeps India A together in chase of 275
Shreyas Iyer has been named captain of the India A squad for the upcoming three-match one-day series against Australia A, starting September 30 in Kanpur.
Yash Dhull smashed his way to 92 but Vidarbha bowling unit proved too good for Rest of India as they comfortably won the Irani Cup by 93 runs in Nagpur on Sunday.
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.
The selectors announced India's teams for the tour of South Africa.
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.
Harsh Dubey wants to represent India but the Vidarbha spin bowling all-rounder is in no hurry to don the national team jersey.
Mumbai Indians head coach Mahela Jayawardene on Friday said star pacer Jasprit Bumrah was still recuperating from a back injury and that the team was waiting for him to be cleared by the National Cricket Academy (NCA).
Also the temperament of playing 373 balls (62.1 overs out of 116 overs) has made him stand out along with how he forged partnership with a tailender (Navdeep Saini).
The Jharkhand batter is set to be included in the India A squad for Australia tour
India A bowlers got a taste of the 'Bazball' approach as England Lions, led by opener Keaton Jennings, pulverised an attack full of seasoned domestic operators to score 382 for 3 in just 82 overs on the opening day of the four-day 'unofficial Test' in Ahmedabad.
In the absence of national regulars, the focus will shift on the likes of Rinku, who was surprisingly not picked for the first round despite having an impressive first-class record.
Mumbai sealed a bonus-point victory with a nine-wicket thrashing of Hyderabad in their Group D Ranji Trophy match, in Hyderabad, on Sunday.
Shreyas Iyer's 604 runs across 17 matches for Punjab Kings at a strike-rate in excess of 175 did not resonate with the selectors during the Asia Cup selection.
Perhaps, another Ranji title with Mumbai will be a fitting send off for Ajinkya Rahane.
Gujarat Titans will be aiming for a top-two spot even as Chennai Super Kings continue planning for the future when the two teams meet in the Indian Premier League match in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
Kishan, who was dropped from the BCCI central contracts earlier this year due to concerns that he was "prioritising" the cash-rich Indian Premier League over domestic cricket, made his return to the India A setup.
Skipper Ajinkya Rahane concentrated hard as his unbeaten 86 off 197 balls took Mumbai to 237 for four against Rest of India on a weather-curtailed opening day of the Irani Cup.
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
Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel and Yash Dayal were on Monday released from the Indian Test side to participate in the Irani Cup in Lucknow.
However, Rana can take a slice of comfort as he completed a four-wicket haul in the opening session of the day to bowl out India A for 290 in their first dig.
There could be some eye-popping deals for players, who would have struggled otherwise to attract attention in the mega auction.
K L Rahul would look to make the most of his first red-ball outing in months ahead of the upcoming Test series against England.
Gujarat Titans eye top-two finish as struggling LSG look to salvage pride
The Gujarat Titans and Rajasthan Royals will hope their struggling bowling units can find their form on an Ahmedabad pitch that has produced high scores in the last four matches.
The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 auction saw some foreign names earning big bucks, headlined by Aussie all-rounder Cameron Green
Premier middle-order batter Sarfaraz Khan, wicket-keeper Dhruv Jurel and pacer Yash Dayal are set to be released from the Indian team for the Irani Cup in case they are not selected in the playing XI for the second Test against Bangladesh, starting September 27 in Kanpur.
Hangargekar takes 5, Sudharsan hits ton as India 'A 'smash Pakistan 'A' by 8 wickets
Bengal veteran Abhimanyu Easwaran was on Saturday named captain of a 13-member India A squad for the upcoming four-day match against visiting England Lions which will be preceded by a warm-up fixture.
Expect some fireworks for the highly-versatile Cameron Green along with Quinton de Kock, Matheesha Pathirana, Venkatesh Iyer and Ravi Bishnoi.
Gujarat Titans will aim to tighten their grip on the top spot and move closer to securing a play-off berth when they take on a faltering Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League match in Jaipur on Monday.
Shams Mulani and Tanush Kotian together claimed six wickets for only 23 runs to put Mumbai within sniffing distance of the Irani Cup triumph despite Abhimanyu Easwaran's heroic 191.
The fringe and aspiring bunch will look to own the elevated Duleep Trophy stage as the red-ball competition returns to its traditional zonal format and marks the start of India's domestic cricket season.
