Rishabh Pant plays a shot during the Duleep Trophy match.
| Photo Credit: The Hindu

Rishabh Pant on Sunday returned to the Test side after nearly 20 months as India announced their 16-man squad for the opening match of the two Test series against Bangladesh starting on September 19.

Virat Kohli also returned to the Test side having missed the five-Test series against England at home earlier this year.

Having played in the second and final Test against Bangladesh at Mirpur from December 22-25, 2022, Pant had met a road accident a few days later on December 30 and made his return to top flight cricket only in IPL this year.

The 26-year-old swashbuckling batter returned to the national side in their title-winning campaign in the T20 World Cup.

However, Mohammed Shami failed to make it to the Test side even though chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar had earlier expressed that the right-arm seamer was targeting a return in the first Test against Bangladesh.

Left-arm Uttar Pradesh seamer Yash Dayal also earned a maiden call-up to the Indian team for the opening Test.

India’s long Test season begins with the first of the two Tests against Bangladesh in Chennai, starting on September 19.

The second Test of the series will be played at the Green Park Stadium in Kanpur from September 27 to October 1.

India and Bangladesh have played 13 Tests so far in which the former has won 11 times while two have ended in draws.

Bangladesh will enter this series having recorded a historic 2-0 win over Pakistan in the opponent’s backyard whereas it will be India’s first Test assignment since beating England 4-1 at home in January-March earlier this year.

India squad for 1st Test: Rohit Sharma (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant (wk), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Jasprit Bumrah, Yash Dayal.

Shubman Gill, during the pre-match media interaction, ahead of the Duleep Trophy opener at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, in Bengaluru on Wednesday. .
| Photo Credit: SUDHAKARA JAIN

Shubman Gill understands that his Test career has not touched the expected peaks yet, but the right-hander is banking on an improved defence against spinners to make a mark in the upcoming season that will feature 10 traditional format matches.

Gill made close to 500 runs in the home series against England this year in, perhaps, his best sustained outing in Test cricket so far, and now he wants to build on that from the two-match series against Bangladesh, starting from September 19, where he will be challenged by a set of experienced visiting spinners.

“I worked on my defence a little bit more against spinners. You should be able to defend a lot more when you are playing on a turning track against spinners, then you can play the scoring shots,” Gill, who will lead Team A in the Duleep Trophy, said here on Wednesday.

“With more T20s being played…I won’t say on flat tracks but on batting-friendly tracks, I think it takes away a little bit of your defensive game. So, that was my focus in the England series,” he added.

Unlike in white ball formats where Gill is a storm force, the 24-year-old is yet to blaze the Test arena, and he hoped for a turnaround sooner than later.

“In Test cricket, my performance has not matched my expectations so far. But we are going to play 10 Test matches this season, and when I look back after those 10 Tests, hopefully, my expectations will be matched,” he said.

Gill also emphasised on his growing maturity as a person and cricketer, which he directly linked to the captaincy stints of India and in the IPL with the Gujarat Titans.

“Every match or tournament that you play, you look to learn more about yourself irrespective of whether you are captain or not the captain. More so because of the captain you will get to know about other players too. It’s important for the captain to have a connect with the players.

“You should know their strength and weaknesses. Yeah, there are some changes in me especially when you are captain or vice-captain and having those conversations,” he elaborated.

But does being a part of the leadership group add an extra layer of pressure on him?

“Not really extra pressure (being part of the leadership group). My role as a batsman does not really change, even if I am the captain or vice-captain. It’s all about scoring runs for the team,” he said.

In that context, Gill termed the Duleep Trophy, beginning here and at Anantapur from Thursday, as a fine opportunity to tune himself to the demands of red ball cricket.

“This (Duleep Trophy) is a big tournament as every match is important for us. We are playing against some players whom we generally play with in the Indian team. So, we will get to see a good competition,” he noted.

Gill, who is set to open against Team B here, also said there have been some early talks between players and management about workload allocation considering the long duration of the season.

“There is definitely talk among the selectors and players about the workload. But I think everyone has played a lot of cricket to be able to understand what they need to do when they are playing the match, more so for the bowlers I would say.

“I am sure the bowlers had a conversation with the selectors about how they are going to manage their workload,” he said.

Meanwhile, Gill confirmed that India pacer Prasidh Krishna will not be available for the first round of the Duleep Trophy.

“Prasidh Krishna is not ready for this match,” he said.

The Karnataka pacer has been recuperating from surgery that he had in February this year and did not play in the recently concluded KSCA Maharaja Trophy T20 despite being roped in by eventual champions Mysuru Warriors.

India’s Hardik Pandya after getting injured during the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup ODI match between India and Bangladesh at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune, on October 19, 2023.
| Photo Credit: K. R. Deepak

Hardik Pandya’s sprained his left foot during India’s facile win against Bangladesh on Thursday may result in dealing a severe blow for India’s hope of regaining the World Cup.

Hardik, the allrounder who is one of the most vital cogs for India’s team balance, hurt himself while attempting to stop a return drive in his opening over. Soon after being treated by the physio, Hardik attempted a run-up but aborted it midway before heading back into the dressing room in visible despair.

Virat Kohli completed the unfinished over after Hardik returned to the dressing room 49 minutes into the game. Almost an hour later, the Indian team management confirmed he had been taken to a hospital for a scan.

While captain Rohit Sharma told the host broadcaster there’s “nothing major” about Hardik’s injury after the game, a team spokesperson reiterated that the medical team was “monitoring” Hardik while “awaiting the scan results”.

The Hindu understands that Hardik returned to the stadium around the innings break. While his foot was heavily strapped, he was not required to bat as India’s top three – led by Virat Kohli’s unbeaten hundred – made short work of a below-par target of 257 at the Maharashtra Cricket Association international stadium.

With India set to play New Zealand in a crucial tie on Sunday, it will be interesting to see India’s combination should Hardik be unavailable. In his absence, India will be forced to play five specialist bowlers and add a specialist batter in the line-up.

India’s Virat Kohli and KL Rahul celebrate with captain Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan after the winning the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 match between India and Bangladesh, at Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, in Pune, Thursday, Oct. 19, 2023.
| Photo Credit: PTI

India’s pursuit of happiness continued unhindered in the World Cup. A fourth successful chase, this time against Bangladesh, ushered in a seven-wicket victory at the MCA Stadium here on Thursday night. Trailing Bangladesh’s 256 for eight, India finished at 261 for three in 41.3 overs, with Virat Kohli’s masterly hundred (103 n.o., 97b, 6×4, 4×6) playing the guiding light.

Initially, the Men in Blue galloped at full tilt with their aesthetic opening pair bruising the Bangladesh attack. Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill found their appetisers through pleasing fours off Shoriful Islam and Mustafizur Rahman.

India vs Bangladesh | As it happened

The sixes were on view too as Rohit pulled Shoriful. When Nasum Ahmed came in early, punches, drives and slog sweeps were essayed. Gill hoisted the spinner into the stands and in a Mustafizur over, drove on either side with finesse. However, Rohit (48), after striking a six off Hasan Mahmud, attempted an encore and succumbed.

This particular over was a mixed bag for Mahmud as his no-balls and free-hits found Kohli hungrily tucking in as overall 23 runs were plundered. Kohli and Gill maintained the tempo but the latter, after going past 50, found a sprinting fielder near the ropes. India was 132 for two in 19.2 overs, but well established in the driver’s seat with Kohli playing the anchor.

A partnership ensued with Shreyas Iyer. Singles were stolen and a defensive bat was offered too as the middle overs turned slow. It was essential that the batters stayed watchful as tumbling wickets could force an injured Hardik Pandya to step out to bat. And yet, Shreyas attempted an ambitious shot and perished.

K.L. Rahul then linked up with a patient Kohli and the two buckled down. An uppish cut for four against the spin may have got Rahul initial runs but he was quick to recalibrate and play straight. He did play a few rousing shots before Kohli cantered towards his ton and took India past the winning tape.

In the afternoon, fans reached the venue through narrow country roads. Out in the middle, Bangladesh’s injured skipper Shakib Al Hasan was ruled out and stand-in captain Najmul Hossain won the toss and elected to bat. On a flat track, openers Litton Das and Tanzid Hasan started sedately before shifting gears.

Southpaw Tanzid was the aggressor, picking on Mohammed Siraj and even hooking a six off Jasprit Bumrah. Hardik was pressed into service but, after bowling three deliveries, the all-rounder hobbled out following a left-ankle injury.

Meanwhile Tanzid tore into Shardul Thakur but, in trying to sweep spinner Kuldeep Yadav, the batter (51) got trapped. India effected a second breach as Ravindra Jadeja rapped Najmul’s pads and India initiated the middle-overs strangle. Mehidy Hasan feathered Siraj down the leg-side and a diving Rahul plucked a splendid diving left-handed catch. Soon Das holed out to Jadeja, Mushfiqur Rahim tried to seal the cracks and Mahmudullah used the long handle.

Still, India largely kept it tight with the highlight being Jadeja’s acrobatic catch to pause Mushfiqur’s innings. From being 90 for no loss at one stage, Bangladesh lost its way and never recovered.

India’s Rohit Sharma with Shubman Gill during practice session at Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune.
| Photo Credit: DEEPAK KR

Post India’s fabulous victory over Pakistan, after the massive hype that the match had generated, there will be a tendency among fans to think the matches against the other sub-continent teams could well be easy. It would do well to remember that last year, Bangladesh won the ODI series against India.

Their white-ball teams are far more competitive than the red-ball ones and given a semblance of a chance can make life difficult for the opposition.

India could well be feeling like a batter who relaxes his guard just a little bit after he has completed a century. That little relaxing makes him lose his wicket. That said, the fact that Shubman Gill, Kohli, Rahul and Shreyas haven’t got a century so far will certainly make them hungry. Hardik spent a short time in the middle against Australia while Jadeja hasn’t had a hit so far and there will be lots of hunger there.

Whether Bumrah will be rested against Bangladesh and saved for the big-ticket clash against New Zealand in Dharamshala which is barely a couple of days after the Bangladesh game will be interesting to see.

Bangladesh have struggled to get off to a good start and if one looks around, the teams that have not got a good opening stand have found it tough to put up a big total.

Apart from Bumrah, India’s other trump card is Kuldeep Yadav. The left-armer has bowled quite superbly, varying his line smartly and getting enough turn to induce a false stroke.

The Indian captain Rohit Sharma has been breathtaking with his batting and his captaincy has been even more impressive. The calmness he brought even when Pakistan were at 150 for just two wickets made sure that the body language of his team was positive all the way. His bowling changes too were spot on and that gave the bowlers the breather to keep going when they were brought back for another spell.

It’s going well for India but there is still work to do and tough opponents to face. A couple of battles are won but there are weeks to go for the war to finish.

(Professional Management Group)

Last month, Tamim hit out at the Bangladesh Cricket Board after being dropped from the 50-over World Cup squad due to injury concerns. File
| Photo Credit: AFP

Bangladesh coach Chandika Hathurusinghe expressed his inability to address whether the absence of Tamim Iqbal is affecting the Tigers’ underperforming top-order ahead of their World Cup match against India on Thursday.

Bangladesh’s struggle in the batting department is quite evident as they continue to struggle to put up competitive scores against top teams in the World Cup.

During the pre-match press conference, Hathurusinghe admitted that they “haven’t put up complete batting performance, or to that matter, complete performance with the ball and bat so far.”

Under such circumstances, Tamim’s absence from the squad once again takes away the spotlight as he has been one of the top batters for Bangladesh in the ODI and has amassed 8,357 runs in 243 ODI outings.

Hathurusinghe was quizzed whether the team felt the absence of the experienced batter in the squad to which he replied, “He is not here, so I can’t answer whether we are missing him or not. Unfortunately, he was not ready the time we were selecting. So obviously his record as a player is good, but the same thing is I don’t know whether we are missing him or not, because we have players that here we have trusting that they will do a job for us.”

Last month, Tamim hit out at the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) after being dropped from the 50-over World Cup squad due to injury concerns.

Shakib Al Hasan called Tamim “childish” and criticized him for putting himself ahead of the team’s needs.

Shakib spoke about Tamim without naming him and said that he is not a team man and just playing for individual records.

“You are not thinking about the team at all. People don’t understand these things. Why was the proposal given to him? It was for the team. What is wrong in that? You are a team man when you agree to such a proposal. Unless you are thinking along those lines, you are not a team man. You are playing for individual records, success, fame, and name. Not for the team,” Shakib said as quoted by ESPNCricinfo.

Suryakumar Yadav during a practice session ahead of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 match between India and Bangladesh at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune, on October 17, 2023.
| Photo Credit: PTI

Ahead of the 17th match of the ODI World Cup 2023 between India and Bangladesh at Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune on Thursday, Indian bowling coach Paras Mhambrey showered praise on Suryakumar Yadav and said that he is a match winner and champion.

While speaking at the pre-match press conference, Mhambrey said that the 33-year-old Indian batsman is difficult to bowl since he is a 360 player.

“Surya is a champion; he is a match-winner and he’s shown you. The last innings that he played, the way he toils – he is a 360 player that we have been talking about. He is a difficult batsman to bowl, especially – anywhere,” Mhambrey said.

When Mhambrey was asked whether Suryakumar was ready to get his maiden World Cup game, the Indian bowling coach said that it’s difficult to miss someone like him in the team.

“I think if you look at the fine leg area, you need to get it covered, third man area gets covered, you bring covers up, you start playing out there. So, he is a 360 player, a difficult batsman to bowl to. And yes, it’s a difficult decision, I said. It’s like Ashwin or Shami, Surya is a quality player. It’s difficult to miss someone like him in the team or get him. But you need to create an opportunity, a place for him to play,” the Indian bowling coach added.

Mhambrey further added that if the opportunity arises, Suryakumar Yadav will get his game.

“The question then asked is, who do you replace him with? So that’s always a challenge. People always say he should be playing. I think he should be playing. But the question sometimes is, in whose place? I think that’s a challenge. So, you don’t have a slot for him right now. But we all know what he brings to the table. He is a match-winner for you and I am sure he will get an opportunity. If the opportunity arises, he will get his game,” he added.

Ahead of India’s clash against Bangladesh, Mhambrey praised Shakib Al Hasan and said that he has done well for Bangladesh and added that he’s a quality bowler.

“See, when you play as a batsman, sometime or somewhere or the other, you will be against someone. If you look at match-ups, there’ll be some match-ups saying that he’s weak against this, but he’s good against that player, bowler especially. But honestly, I don’t think any conversation that we have out here, we know he is a good player. He has done well for Bangladesh, he is a champion player, he is handy, he bats for the team, he bowls well, he bowls in the power play, he’s a quality bowler and I think you got to give that to him,” he added.

When asked, whether Shakib Al Hasan will create problems for the Indian batsmen, he replied that Men in Blue’s main focus is to execute the team’s plan during the match.

“But for us really it doesn’t really matter. I think for us is that day what we do in terms of our preparation, our execution and we have a game plan. So, I honestly believe and that’s what when I voice the – it’s from the team’s point of view as well. I think if you execute your plans to the max, you’re going to do well. And I think that’s all that we’re focusing on. The execution of our plans and that’s it, nothing else,” he added.

Rohit Sharma-led India is coming into this game after defeating Pakistan by seven wickets after the Indian skipper’s scintillating 86-run knock from 63 balls.

The Men in Blue are still unbeaten in the ongoing extravaganza tournament and will be looking forward to continuing their unbeaten streak in the forthcoming game against Bangladesh.

The match between India and Bangladesh will kick off at 2:00 PM IST on Thursday.

Virat Kohli during practice session at Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune.
| Photo Credit: DEEPAK KR

The sun was descending in the skies while the foothills of the Western Ghats offered an imposing backdrop. Suddenly a group of fans ran across the undulating terrain around the MCA Stadium here on Tuesday.

Peering hard and gesticulating with their hands, cricket’s followers were eager to catch a glimpse of their sporting deities.

Soon a security vehicle’s siren blared and the Indian team bus slipped into view while on the nearby expressway, vehicles sped towards either Pune or Mumbai. Originally scheduled as an optional session, the team, though, preferred to be at full strength.

Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid sauntered towards the centre-square, gazing at the pitch and then the skipper who shadow-practised a few shots, had a chat with the coach.

Once nets commenced, Virat Kohli was at his aggressive best. The warning call ‘watch it’ was screamed often as the batter lofted with impunity. One shot flew towards the rest of his teammates in a huddle, and instinctively many heads ducked, and a few other strokes thudded into the stands. Kohli’s batting colleagues had their stints and Ravindra Jadeja too had a hit.

The bowlers hit their straps with Mohammed Shami steaming in sharp. The nets, as usual, were split into throw-downs, spin and pace while some local bowlers too lent a hand. High catches were also practised in the deep as the unit, after two days of rest following Saturday’s win against Pakistan in Ahmedabad, preferred to train hard under lights.

On Thursday, India will play its World Cup game against Bangladesh and in the stands some fans from the neighbouring country, sporting caps topped with stuffed tiger dolls, watched the proceedings besides offering quotes in Bengali to a section of the media. Meanwhile, the Men in Blue, clad in their orange training jerseys, continued their sessions.

Tilak Varma plays a shot during the 2022 Asian Games men’s semi-final cricket match between Bangladesh and India in Hangzhou in China’s eastern Zhejiang province on October 6, 2023. Varma scored a half-century.
| Photo Credit: AFP

India crushed Bangladesh by nine wickets on Friday to power into the gold medal match in Hangzhou as they bid to win the Asian Games title on their first attempt.

Awaiting their young, but still formidable, side in Saturday’s title-decider will be Pakistan or Afghanistan, who meet later.

Twenty20 cricket has been played at the Asian Games twice before, at Guangzhou 2010 and Incheon 2014, with Bangladesh and then Sri Lanka crowned champions.

India did not take part and are playing at an Asiad for the first time.

On an overcast day at the Zhejiang University of Technology Pingfeng Cricket Field, they won the toss and chose to field on a pitch that has been susceptible to spin.

It proved to be the case again, with Bangladesh stumbling to 96/9. Sai Kishore grabbed 3/12 and Washington Sundar 2/15.

Only three Bangladesh batters made double figures, led by Jaker Ali’s unbeaten 24.

While Bangladesh struggled, India made it look easy, steaming to their target in 9.2 overs for the loss of one wicket. Tilak Varma was 55 not out and skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad unbeaten on 40.

Their chase got off to a horror start with quarter-final century-maker Yashasvi Jaiswal out for a duck in the first over, caught at fine leg.

But fellow opener Gaikwad quickly seized back control, plundering 20 from the third over including two big consecutives sixes off fast bowler Ripon Mondol.

Varma got in on the act in the next over, also crashing straight sixes, this time off Mrittunjoy Chowdhury, as they raced to 50-1.

In contrast, while opener Parvez Hossain Emon hit a six in their second over, Bangladesh had found runs hard to come by.

India got the breakthrough in the fifth over with Mahmudul Hasan Joy holing out to Jaiswal at mid-on off Kishore for five.

Most of India’s big names, including Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, are at home for the one-day World Cup, but their squad in Hangzhou still has some top talent.

Spinner Sundar has played all three formats of the game for his country and Bangladesh couldn’t cope with his tricky offbreaks.

Skipper Saif Hassan and Zakir Hasan were both out in the space of three balls.

Emon ground 23 off 32, but he too succumbed to spin, shanking to cover off Varma as Bangladesh crawled to 36-4 in the ninth over.

Gaikwad’s decision to deploy Kishore again paid immediate dividends with Afif Hossain and Shahadat Hossain both out to soft dismissals, before Ali’s late flurry.