A fine all-round performance by Sairaj Bahutule gave Mumbai a 136-run victory in the Ranji Trophy one-day match.
Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja were ignored by the national selectors for the third time in a row as they continued with the younger crop for the ODI series against New Zealand.
The domestic season-ending five-day Irani Cup game between newly crowned Ranji Trophy champions Mumbai and the Rest of India, commencing in Mumbai from Sunday, will provide fringe players a good opportunity to stake claims for the national team. The first class match is the last occasion for hopefuls from both ranks to impress the five-member national selection panel headed by Sandeep Patil before attention shifts totally to the T20 format, commencing with the ICC World T20 Championships. With the country expected to play over 15 Test matches post Indian Premier League till the end of next season, this match is the ideal platform for these players to strengthen their claims for the long Test haul. Mumbai, who clinched the Ranji crown for the 41st time last week by defeating Saurashtra by an innings, have a settled combination led by wicket keeper batsman Aditya Tare. They appear to be better prepared than the motley bunch of Rest of India, being led by Madhya Pradesh stumper Naman Ojha. However, they would take the Rest of India lightly at their own peril as the latter have a good bowling attack at their command even without originally named Barinder Sran and Nathu Singh who have been injured and replaced by Ankit Rajpoot and Anureet Singh, according to their coach Ashish Kapoor.
'By God's grace, everything is okay and we are back as friends.'
'May Mohammed Siraj have a lot of strength to overcome this loss...lots of good wishes for his success in this trip... tremendous character.'
What follows is essentially a long scene set in a single location, and you watch in amazement as the scene grows into one of Indian cinema's funniest and most spectacular pieces of sustained craftsmanship, accumulating emotional power and subtext, growing wings and claws, becoming its own beast, applauds Sreehari Nair.
India's Nitin Menon on Monday became the youngest ever to be included in the International Cricket Council's Elite Panel of Umpires for the upcoming 2020-21 season, replacing England's Nigel Llong. The 36-year-old, who has officiated in three Tests, 24 ODIs and 16 T20Is, is only the third from India to make it to the prestigious group after former captain Srinivas Venkatraghavan and Sundaram Ravi, who was axed last year.
RCB wicketkeeper-batter Anuj Rawat said that the franchise will be starting its preparations for the IPL from March 10 onwards.
'I think I have made enough cricketing memories on and off the field to last me a lifetime. For all those who still feel, I should have not retired yet, well...'
A call-up for the West Indies tour for two Tests was inevitable for Yashasvi Jaiswal after proving himself across formats.
Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara, Mohammed Shami and Ravindra Jadeja could do with a break, which will allow India to try out new players in the Caribbean.
Former India pacer Irfan Pathan on Sunday said he never lost his swing, contrary to the general perception at that time, and added blaming then coach Greg Chappell for his downfall was a cover-up. Pathan, 35, announced his retirement on Saturday, saying "most players start their India career at 27-28 but I ended up playing my last game at that stage".
Rohit & Co. eye better batting show against USA
India are set for a T20 appetizer ahead of their marquee Test series against Australia when they face the touring New Zealand in a three-match series, beginning in Ranchi, on Friday.
Gambhir might be out of national reckoning, but he has been in ominous form this season and that is precisely one of the reasons behind Delhi's success.
Although he termed Champions League T20 as a "great platform", Test specialist and SunRisers Hyderabad player KL Rahul feels that scrapping of the tournament will not mean the end of opportunity for talented Indian players to prove their mettle.
The 37-year-old, who was picked by Mumbai Indians for his base price of Rs 1 crore at the Indian Premier League auctions, has set his sights on the T20 extravaganza to make a bid for a comeback.
'Dhoni was the captain and everyone else was battling for the second wicket-keeper's slot.' 'I was fighting with myself, always thinking of improving my game, getting better personally, not comparing myself with anyone else.'
Led ably by Shardul Thakur, Mumbai bowlers put up a much better display than the previous game and shot out Railways for a paltry 217 on day one of their four-day Group 'B' Ranji Trophy tie at the Wankhede Stadium, in Mumbai, on Sunday.
Former stumper Syed Kirmani was bestowed with the prestigious Col. CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to Indian cricket, while Test captain Virat Kohli bagged the Polly Umrigar Trophy for Cricketer of the Year in the BCCI awards night in Mumbai on Tuesday.
Mayank Agarwal has been in top form in Test cricket and he could carry that form into the limited overs series if picked in the playing XI. The Karnataka cricketer is currently playing in the Ranji Trophy and will join the national squad before the opening ODI.
Swashbuckling batsman Virender Sehwag, who announced his retirement from international cricket, will be the star attraction as Haryana takes on Karnataka in a Group A Ranji Trophy match, starting in Mysuru, on Thursday.
When India played their last time, the two four day games were played at Rustenberg and Pretoria while the tri-series was entirely played in Pretoria. The 'Test' series was drawn 1-1 while List A tri-series was won by India. The current tour has been scheduled after the 10th edition of Indian Premier League where all the top players are expected to play. "The A tours give ideal opportunity to the performers in domestic cricket to showcase their talent. Look at the likes of Priyank Panchal, who has scored over 1000 runs or youngsters like Rishabh Pant and Ishan Kishan who have caught the attention -- the selectors will get a chance to test if they are ready for the next level or not," a top BCCI source said.
The 29-year-old also revealed he shares a good bond with the Royals skipper Sanju Samson.
Reacting to the excessive pitch talk in the ongoing series between India and South Africa, Harbhajan Singh has come out supporting the home team's viewpoint saying 'Indian pitches assist spinners and there is nothing new about it'.
Jadeja sent a message asking for declaration as he wanted his side to exploit the variable bounce
Sunil Gavaskar has welcomed the return of Harbhajan Singh to the Indian cricket team after more than two years, saying the off-spinner looks in good form even though he doesn't need to prove anything to anyone with close to 700 international wickets under his belt.
Veteran Yuvraj Singh made a comeback to the Indian team, while Virat Kohli took over the captaincy from Mahendra Singh Dhoni, for the forthcoming three-match ODI and T20I series against England, starting in Pune, on January 15.
Arguably the greatest slow left-arm bowler that the world has ever seen, Bishan Singh Bedi left an indelible impression in minds of many with a character to die for.
How India's players fared in the England series.
'The only place through which I can give an answer is through IPL even if I play for India. I want to face the fear and that's the only way to live life.'
Parveez Rasool, the first cricketer from Jammu and Kashmir to be included in the Indian squad, spent his first day at the National Cricket Academy preparing for the upcoming tour of Zimbabwe, beginning July 24.
Rohit Sharma knows that he is in a "very tricky position" but wants to utilize the upcoming Sri Lanka tour and the subsequent tour of South Africa at home to cement his spot in the five-day format.
Ankeet Chavan, one of the three Rajasthan Royals players charged with spot-fixing during the 2013 IPL and banned for life by the BCCI, was paid his Ranji Trophy dues worth Rs 32 lakh.
Vinay Kumar, who led Karnataka to its seventh Ranji Trophy title, said his team's goal is to dominate Indian cricket for the next ten years.
Left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav has sustained a serious knee injury and is likely to miss most of the domestic season, having already come back to India with his IPL campaign in the UAE cut short.
Manjot Kalra's journey has just begun and in Delhi it can get more intriguing if not interesting.
Fresh from his match-winning exploits against table-toppers Chennai Super Kings, Delhi Daredevils opener Shreyas Iyer says his Ranji experience acted as a confidence-booster for him in the Indian Premier League cricket tournament.
The Indian Premier League has served as a huge platform for the upcoming cricketers to make their mark over the past 14 editions and the trend is expected to continue when the 2022 IPL season begins on Saturday.
Maharashtra batsman Vijay Zol, who led India to the Asia Cup crown last week, says his under-19 squad will not rest on its laurels and also try and win next month's Junior World Cup in the UAE, starting February 14.
