The second round of the Duleep Trophy 2024 got underway on Thursday in Anantpur, with India A and India B taking on India C and India D, respectively. Last week, India B thumped India A in Bengaluru, while India C edged out India D in Anantpur. Majority of the players, who were selected for the 1st Test against Bangladesh, including Rishabh Pant, K L Rahul and Shubman Gill, were rested for the second round of Duleep Trophy. Initially, BCCI’s release announcing the teams for the second round of the Duleep Trophy matches, did not have the wicketkeeper-batter’s name. 

However, on Thursday, Ishan Kishan came on to bat for India C at No. 4 position. Kishan, who lost his central contract earlier this year, scored 111 off 126 balls with the help of 14 fours and three sixes.

Unfortunately for fans, the match was neither televised nor streamed by the BCCI. On the other hand, there was proper coverage for the match between India A and India D.

As a result, fans were not able to witness Kishan taking the India B bowlers to cleaners. Due to the blackout, fans slammed the BCCI for not televising or streaming the India B vs India C match.

Here’s how Internet reacted:

It’s genuinely a shame that the richest cricket board can’t even telecast two domestic games at the same time. After all the hype the Duleep Trophy got, it’s absurd to think that you can only watch one of the two games.

— Yash (@CSKYash_) September 12, 2024

Disappointed from BCCI. Only two games and you cannot even stream them together.

— Kaushik Kashyap (@CricKaushik_) September 12, 2024

– Not even a single ball bowled in Afghanistan vs New Zealand test match in 4 days

– No live telecast of India B vs India C

– No availability of drs in India B vs India C match

This is the situation of the richest cricket board BCCI #ShameonBCCI #DuleepTrophy

— Aryan Bansal (@aryan_cskian) September 12, 2024

Duleep trophy ka telecast 1 hi mtch tk tha kya…..ye domestic ko utha rhe ho….mtch v boring wala dikha rhe ho…wahn isan khelra wo dikao#IshanKishan

— (@spneerj) September 12, 2024

#BCCI IS A SHAME….!!!!!!!

1. They can’t even arrange a Test match at Greater Noida, not a single ball has been bowled yet .

2. They can’t even telecast two simultaneous #DuleepTrophy

matches , despite making such hype .

Worst Cricket Board.#RuturajGaikwad #Cricket #Test pic.twitter.com/9cMzhWbS9O

— Pratyush Halder (@pratyush_no7) September 12, 2024

Meanwhile, Kishan had missed the first round match due to an injury. He was initially part of the India D squad, before being replaced by Sanju Samson.

Kishan had garnered negative publicity after he returned midway from India’s Tour of South Africa due to personal reasons late last year. Since then, he has not been considered for the national team though he is one of most aggressive options as wicketkeeper-batter in the country. 

Earlier, it was reported that his perceived reluctance to feature in domestic cricket was a likely reason behind him being ignored for international series. However, when he was named for the Duleep Trophy first round of matches, it was seen as a positive step.

 A senior official from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has confirmed that the second Test match between India and Bangladesh will not be shifted from Kanpur despite threats of protests, according to a report by India Today. The two teams will face each other in the second Test match at Green Park in Kanpur on September 27. There were some concerns after a threat issued by Hindu Mahasabha regarding protests against the Bangladesh cricket team in response to alleged violence against Hindus in Bangladesh. However, a source close to BCCI has said that they are not looking at alternate venues for the encounter and the match will take place as planned.

“Yes, we are monitoring and with the concerned authorities as far as those threats are concerned but we have done everything to hold that match and stadium is ready to welcome our and visitors and said it’s not going anywhere it will be in Kanpur but will keep monitoring the situation not only in Kanpur but also at the other venues,” the source told India Today.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh batter Litton Das revealed that the team is trying to get used to the SG balls and the way they behave ahead of their upcoming two-match Test series against India.

Looking to build on their recent historic Test success in Pakistan, Bangladesh will engage in a two-match red-ball series against India, kicking off next week in Chennai.

It will be a different challenge for Bangladesh as they break one norm. Bangladesh played with Kookaburra ball in their home internationals and their recently concluded Test series against Pakistan.

However, India use an SG ball, which is very different from Kookaburra and brings a different set of challenges with it. One of the prominent differences between the two is the seam. SG ball has a prominent seam, but the same can’t be said for Kookaburra.

“The ball will be a different one in India. It is a little harder to play against the SG ball. The Kookaburra ball is easier to play when it gets old. It is the opposite with the SG ball. It is harder to get away against the old ball when it’s the SG,” Litton said, as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.

India’s squad for 1st Test against Bangladesh: Rohit Sharma (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), R Ashwin, R Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Akash Deep, Jasprit Bumrah, Yash Dayal.

Yuzvendra Chahal bagged a fifer in County Championship© X (Twitter)

The ODI World Cup 2023 was a great one for the Indian cricket team. Barring the heart-break in the final, the Rohit Sharma-led Indian team impressed all. Off the field too, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has now claimed that the ODi World Cup impacted India in a big way. In a report titled, “ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 Delivers Economic Boost to India”, the ICC said the 2023 ODI World Cup in India created an “economic benefit” of USD 1.39 billion with tourism among the biggest beneficiaries.

The Economic Impact Assessment conducted by Nielsen for the ICC, claimed that the mega-event held in October-November last year was the biggest ever ODI World Cup. “The ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 has demonstrated the significant economic power of cricket, generating economic benefit of USD 1.39 billion (Rs 11,637 crore) for India,” ICC Chief Executive, Geoff Allardice said in a statement.

Australia ended India’s unbeaten run in the tournament to win the trophy for a record-extending sixth time.

“The impact of tourism across the host cities amounted to USD 861.4 million of revenue generation, through accommodation, travel, transportation and food and beverage because of a massive influx of domestic and foreign tourists attending the matches,” read an ICC statement.

“The secondary and incremental spends within the economy was a key driver, generating USD 515.7 million, which was approximately 37 per cent of the total impact.” 

However, the ICC did not specify whether the massive figure cited in the report is actual revenue.

A record-breaking 1.25 million spectators attended the mega event, of which nearly 75 per cent were attending an ICC 50-over match for the first time ever, the report claimed.

“Nearly 55 per cent of the international respondents had previously visited India regularly, whilst an injection of new visitors thanks to the World Cup saw 19% of international attendees making their first ever visit to the country.

“International travellers visited multiple tourist destinations during their stay which amounted to an economic impact of USD281.2 million and nearly 68 per cent of international attendees said that they would recommend India as a tourist destination to friends and family in the future further enhancing India’s global image,” read the statement from the governing body.

Over 48,000 full and part time jobs were created by the event through direct involvement in delivering the tournament, as well as other organisations across the hospitality sector, added the report.

“The event created thousands of jobs and showcased India as a premier tourist destination, proving that ICC events not only engage fans passionately but also contribute significantly to the economies of our host nations,” Allardice said.

With PTI inputs 

India’s squad for the first Test against Bangladesh is out, with a number of top stars like Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, and Rishabh Pant making their return. Rookie pacer Yash Dayal also earned his maiden call-up to India’s Test team. But, there was no return for Mohammed Shami, though the veteran pacer was expected to be fit for the first Test against Bangladesh. Shreyas Iyer, despite his impressive performance in the first Duleep Trophy match, wasn’t picked by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) selection committee either.

Since the squad announcement has been released, many have been wondering why Shami and Iyer couldn’t make the cut. Though the pacer could still be lacking the desired fitness level, Iyer is fully fit and showed some promise in the Duleep Trophy match too.

As per a Times of India report, Iyer’s inconsistent performances in red-ball cricket, as well as a poor 2024 season, played a role in making the selectors overlook him over a Test recall.

Fitness concerns have also troubled Iyer recently. His removal from BCCI’s central contracts, following his unavailability for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy, also reportedly left the board’s bosses and the selection committee unhappy. Though he could be returning to form, it seems like selectors want more from the middle-order batter before he is considered for the Test team again.

With the likes of Sarfaraz Khan and KL Rahul also competing for the middle-order spots, Iyer seems to be low in the pecking order at the moment.

Mohammed Shami’s case, however, is a different one. The BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar had earlier said that the veteran pacer could make his return for the Bangladesh series. However, Shami doesn’t seem to have ticked all the boxes for selection. In fact, he is unlikely to be picked for the second Test against Bangladesh too.

The pacer is likely to be picked in the Bengal team for the Ranji Trophy campaign, starting on October 11. If he manages to prove his fitness in the domestic tournament, Team India’s return could only be a formality.

ICC delegation is likely to come to Pakistan in the next few days for inspection.© X (Twitter)

File photo of Jay Shah© AFP

File image of the BCCI logo© AFP

File photo of Jay Shah© AFP

Jay Shah will take over as the ICC chairman from December 1, 2024. Jay Shah, at 35, will become the youngest to take over as the chairman of the global governing body. Shah has been serving as the BCCI secretary since October 2019 and chairman of the Asian Cricket Council since January 2021. Jay Shah got the vote of 15 out of 16 members in the ICC Board to be elected the next ICC chairman. 

Cricket West Indies CEO Johnny Grave has now talked in details about the reason behind Jay Shah’s election.

“The ICC board doesn’t want to waste too much time on internal politics. If you look at Jay’s leadership at the BCCI, it has been wonderful. He has hosted the Women’s Premier League, successfully oversaw the 50-over World Cup in India and has signed huge broadcast deals with IPL and for BCCI,” Cricket West Indies CEO Johnny Grave told The Indian Express.

Meanwhile, former Australia head coach John Buchanan on Thursday urged the International Cricket Council, which will be led by BCCI secretary Jay Shah soon, to take ‘good decisions’ for cricket’s long-term future.

Buchanan, who coached Australia to two separate runs of world record 16 consecutive Test wins and ODI World Cup wins in 2003 and 2007, said the ICC needs to be address the concerns over growing number of T20 leagues. “It’s an interesting question. With Jay Shah now being installed at the head of the ICC, it really is important that the ICC makes some very, very good long-term decisions for the game,” Buchanan told PTI when asked if India and Australia will continue to produce Test cricketers of the same caliber they have thus far.

“We see a proliferation of T20 leagues, T10 leagues, (The) Hundreds and so on… the reality is, that is the future of the game. The young children that we’re speaking here today will be inspired by and have a real love for playing that short form of the game,” he said at the launch of ‘Ready Steady Go Kids’ multi-sport program.

However, Buchanan underlined the importance of Test cricket.

“The game is built on Test cricket. That’s the true fabric of the game. For the ICC to make some good decisions, they have to be very, very mindful of how many leagues they approve and sanction, which means by doing that, it will limit the number of leagues that players are drawn to, for a start,” he said.

Buchanan said the ICC will have to find a way to keep the ODI format relevant since it helps in transition between Tests and T20s.

“Test cricket is really important. We’ve got the proliferation of the short-format game. We need to keep the transition game, which is the one-day game,” he said.

“It’s too difficult for players to be able to play quality cricket with only two formats, meaning a short format and a long format. We need that intervening, that transition format of 50-over cricket.” Buchanan said players cannot be blamed for trying to make most of the opportunities.

“You want to be well paid for because you’re at the top of your game. Who knows how long they’ve got injury-wise, selection-wise, age-wise…” he later told reporters.

“They’ve got to try and exploit that and that’s what the leagues are offering at the moment. I don’t blame them for that.” Buchanan said he anticipates the Australian Test side to undergo a phase of transition after the Border-Gavaskar Trophy later this year.

“I wouldn’t be surprised to see a lot of changes in that Australian Test side because most of them are over 30,” he said.