India B vs India C Day 1 LIVE, Duleep Trophy 2024© X (Twitter)

India B vs India C Day 1 LIVE, Duleep Trophy 2024© X (Twitter)

Fringe players like Rinku Singh and Shivam Dube along with some seasoned name who have been ignored by the national selectors will be aiming to attract their attention when round two of Duleep Trophy begins in Anantapur on Thursday. The star power in the season-opening red-ball event will be reduced significantly for round two with India squad players released for a national camp ahead of the first Test against Bangladesh in Chennai from September 19. Sarfaraz Khan is the lone India squad member who will be featuring in the domestic competition.

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. The spirited southpaw has also done well for India in T20 cricket.

Shubman Gill joining the national team has led to Mayank Agarwal captaining the India A unit. Having played his last Test in March 2022, Agarwal needs a bagful of runs to get back into national reckoning.

Pacer Prasidh Krishna, who missed the Duleep Trophy opener having not fully completed his rehab for a left quadriceps tendon, has been named in the India A squad. With the Australia tour on the horizon, the performance of the lanky pacer will be keenly observed.

In the India B squad, captain Abhimanyu Easwaran will need to lead from the front following a forgettable outing in Bengaluru last week.

Sarfaraz, who made a successful Test debut against England earlier this year, was upstaged by his brother Musheer in the opening game, the latter’s 181 taking India B to a fine win over India A.

The elder brother will be eyeing a big knock before joining the national team in Chennai.

Washington Sundar also features in the India B squad and his all-round abilities keep him in the mix for all formats. Pacer Mukesh Kumar, who was pipped by Akash Deep for the first Test, will have a point to prove.

India C openers Sai Sudharsan and Ruturaj Gaikwad will be looking to pile on the runs to make a case for the reserve opener’s role in the India setup.

Left-arm spinner Manav Suthar will be aiming to build on his match-winning performance against India D.

Rajat Patidar, dropped from the Indian team following a disastrous debut series against England, will need to show the hunger for red-ball runs.

Shreyas Iyer, captain of India D, is another player who has been sidelined from the Test squad and only a mountain of runs can bring him back into the national reckoning.

The same goes for Devdutt Padikkal and Sanju Samson, who was a notable name missing from India D’s playing eleven against India C.

Left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh too needs to do a lot more to enhance his red-ball credentials.

India A squad: Mayank Agarwal (C), Riyan Parag, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Tanush Kotian, Prasidh Krishna, Khaleel Ahmed, Avesh Khan, Kumar Kushagra, Shaswat Rawat, Pratham Singh, Akshay Wadkar, SK Rasheed, Shams Mulani, Aaqib Khan.

India B squad: Abhimanyu Easwaran (C), Sarfaraz Khan, Musheer Khan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Navdeep Saini, Mukesh Kumar, Rahul Chahar, R Sai Kishore, Mohit Awasthi, N Jagadeesan (WK), Suyash Prabhudessai, Rinku Singh, Himanshu Mantri (WK).

India C squad: Ruturaj Gaikwad (C), Sai Sudharsan, Rajat Patidar, Abishek Porel (WK), B Indrajith, Hrithik Shokeen, Manav Suthar, Gaurav Yadav, Vyshak Vijaykumar, Anshul Khamboj, Himanshu Chauhan, Mayank Markande, Aryan Juyal (WK), Sandeep Warrier

India D squad: Shreyas lyer (C), Atharva Taide, Yash Dubey, Devdutt Padikkal, Ricky Bhui, Saransh Jain, Arshdeep Singh, Aditya Thakare, Harshit Rana, Akash Sengupta, KS Bharat (WK), Saurabh Kumar, Sanju Samson (WK), Nishant Sindhu, Vidwath Kaverappa.

Meerut Mavericks continued their dominance and remained on top of the points table with another victory in the UP T20 2024 as they defeated the Kanpur Superstars by 22 runs via the DLS method. Having set a target of 106 in nine overs in the 20th game of the competition at the BRSABV Ekana Stadium the Mavericks bowled Kanpur out for 83 to clinch their sixth victory. A solid showing with the bat from Madhav Kaushik helped Meerut make 90 from their nine overs despite a relatively slow start. Zeeshan Ansari followed that up with a continuation of his dream run this season with a three-wicket haul in the two overs he bowled in the chase. Zeeshan’s spell, which came after Ankur Malik’s 13-ball 33 had given the Kanpur side the start they needed, proved to be the turning point of the game.

Having come on to bowl with the score at 43/1 in four overs, Ansari was smashed for a six and a four in the first three balls he bowled to Sameer Rizvi. The Kanpur skipper should have, however, gone on to finish off the game from that point onward but an inside edge rolled back onto stumps off the fourth ball of that fifth over. Ansari had the opening he wanted and he followed it up with a couple more wickets in his spell.

Over the next three overs, Kanpur lost seven wickets, scoring only 28 runs in the process as they capitulated to 83 all out in 7.4 overs. Captain Rinku Singh pocketed three wickets in the only over he bowled as well to help pull off a stunning comeback for his side.

Earlier, it was a tale of two halves for Meerut Mavericks when they were inserted into bat after Kanpur Superstars opted to field first. In the first seven overs of their innings, the Mavericks were steadily building a solid score until the rain interrupted play.

When they returned to face the final two overs of the innings after a lengthy rain break, they batted without inhibitions. Kaushik exhibited fireworks that took them to a score they definitely needed heading into the break.

Rain came down at the end of the seventh over of the Meerut innings by which time the Mavericks had made only 49/2 from seven overs. And even that was an improvement on the kind of start they had got after Swastik Chikara had been dismissed for a duck, shouldering arms to a Vineet Panwar in the very first over.

A slog over mid-wicket got Akshaye Dubey the first six of the game and while he departed the very next over to a superb running catch by Sameer Rizvi, Kaushik hit another boundary to eke out 12 in that over.

When they returned after the rain break, Kaushik, who was on 18 from 17 balls at that time, smashed back-to-back sixes off Shubham Mishra to signal his intentions.

Another four followed off Rituraj Sharma’s bat before he was dismissed but Kaushik continued to blaze away, hitting Rishabh Rajput for two sixes and two fours in the final over of the innings to get to his half-century from only 26 balls. In turn, he had propelled his side from 49/2 in seven overs to 90/3 in nine.

The target was changed to 106 which proved to be way more than what they needed to grab the victory.

Brief scores: Kanpur Superstars 83 all out in 7.4 overs (Ankur Malik 33, Sameer Rizvi 21; Rinku Singh 3-7, Zeeshan Ansari 3-26) lost to Meerut Mavericks 90/3 in 9 overs (Madhav Kaushik 52, Rituraj Sharma 18; Shubham Mishra 2-30) by 22 runs via the DLS method.

Rinku Singh in action© BCCI

The upcoming season of Duleep Trophy will be a great spectacle as many big names from India’s senior men’s team will be featuring in the domestic league. While senior stars including skipper Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah and R Ashwin received exemptions, Rishabh Pant, Suryakumar Yadav, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill are among the ones who will be playing in the Duleep Trophy. However, batter Rinku Singh was not included in the squad for Duleep Trophy which left all the fans utterly shocked.

The Kolkata Knight Riders batters rose to fame with his heroic performance in IPL 2023. Later on, he also played many brilliant knocks for India in white-ball cricket. However, he failed to find a place for himself among the 60 players, who were chosen by the BCCI for the Duleep Trophy.

Recently, the 26-year-old batter opened up on his snub and stated that his poor outing in domestic cricket is the main reason behind it.

“Nothing…I didn’t perform that well (in domestic season). I didn’t play many matches in the Ranji Trophy…I played 2-3 matches. I wasn’t selected because I didn’t play that well. I might get selected for next-round matches,” Rinku told Sportstak.

In first class cricket, Rinku has played 47 matches and scored 3173 runs at a strike rate of 71.59. He has smashed seven centuries and 20 half-centuries.

Duleep Trophy 2024 will feature international stars such as Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, leading all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav and pacer Mohammed Siraj.

T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav, who had played one Test against Australia in 2023 has also been picked. Apart from Surya, the others have confirmed slot in the team.

India players were supposed to play only one match and hence Kohli, Rohit, Bumrah and Ashwin were given exemptions.

India are slated to play two Test matches against Bangladesh – from September 19 at Chennai and from September 27 at Kanpur.

(With PTI Inputs)

As Gautam Gambhir gears up to make his debut as India head coach in the first T20I against Sri Lanka, former India batter Wasim Jaffer has shared his playing XI choices for the game on social media. Jaffer – who has been rumoured to become the new head coach of IPL franchise Punjab Kings – made some hot selections. Jaffer left out some big names in the form of Sanju Samson and the in-form Washington Sundar, instead choosing T20 World Cup stars Rishabh Pant and Axar Patel.

If Gambhir and the Team India management were to think the same as Jaffer, it would mean that Samson would miss out yet again, despite his fine form in IPL 2024. Having not played a single game in India’s victorious T20 World Cup 2024, Samson could be set to play second-fiddle to Pant again.

Samson had piled up 531 runs in IPL 2024, 85 more than Pant. Jaffer also left out Samson’s Rajasthan Royals teammate Riyan Parag from his XI.

My playing XI for first T20I:

Gill

Jaiswal

Pant (WK)

SKY (C)

Dube

Hardik

Rinku

Axar

Bishnoi

Arshdeep

Siraj

What’s yours? #SLvIND

— Wasim Jaffer (@WasimJaffer14) July 27, 2024

Jaffer went with an opening pair of Yashasvi Jaiswal and vice-captain Shubman Gill, followed by Pant, new India T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya and Rinku Singh.

With Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma retiring from T20Is after the T20 World Cup, Gill is expected to become a feature in the side. Rinku Singh, who narrowly missed the cut from the World Cup squad, also finds a spot.

Jafar went with Axar Patel at the no. 8 spot, ahead of Zimbabwe tour ‘Player of the Series’ Washington Sundar. Washington had picked up eight wickets in five games against Zimbabwe, at a miserly economy of 5.16. Ravi Bishnoi was his selection for the specialist spinner.

Finally, Jaffer picked two frontline seamers in the form of Arshdeep Singh and Mohammed Siraj.

Wasim Jaffer’s playing XI: Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant (wk), Suryakumar Yadav (c), Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj.

Suryakumar Yadav (left) and Rinku Singh.© Instagram

1. Hardik Pandya not part of leadership group

Whilst Gambhir’s faith in Suryakumar Yadav is not a surprise, what is alarming is the complete omission of Hardik Pandya from any sort of captaincy role. Instead, it is India’s captain in the Zimbabwe tour, Shubman Gill, who has been named vice-captain in both the ODIs and T20Is.

One can only speculate the real reason behind Hardik’s downfall on the captaincy pecking order. Is it Hardik’s disastrous Mumbai Indians stint? Or is it the fact that Hardik’s injury-prone nature means he may not always be a part of the squad? It could also be that Gambhir is firmly looking towards the future, aiming to prepare Gill as India’s next captain in all formats from now itself.

2. Shubman Gill’s Big Promotion

Gambhir seems to have his eyes set firmly on the 2027 World Cup, and it seems like Shubman Gill is his vote as the nation’s future captain in all formats. Gill has been named as the vice-captain in both the T20I and the ODI squads, ahead of Hardik Pandya no less. With Rohit being 37 and Suryakumar 33, Gambhir is looking to mould a future captain right from the start.

3. Abhishek Sharma, Kuldeep Yadav, Ruturaj Gaikwad left out of T20I squad

Despite Kuldeep’s starring role in India’s 2024 T20 World Cup victory – where he picked up 10 wickets in just five games – he has been left out of the T20I squad. The reason behind this could be to manage Kuldeep’s workload, as he still continues to feature in the ODI squad.

Gambhir has also worked in close quarters with Ravi Bishnoi in the past at Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), and may trust him as India’s lead spinner in T20Is.

Gaikwad has also been left out, despite a fine T20I series against Zimbabwe. He has been left out from both squads, with the likes of Riyan Parag favoured over him.

Abhishek Sharma scored a ton against Zimbabwe but he has also been dropped from the Sri Lanka tour, while off-colour Riyan Parag has been picked for both T20Is and ODIs.

4. Gambhir backs his KKR boys

KKR stars Shreyas Iyer, Harshit Rana (ODIs) and Rinku Singh (T20Is) are all part of Gambhir’s first India squad. Much like Suryakumar, Gambhir’s faith in Shreyas Iyer also does not come as a surprise, after he guided KKR to a third IPL title in 2024. Harshit Rana had an excellent campaign, and could be utilised as a handy lower-order batsman as well in the ODI format.

Here the India squads for Sri Lanka tour –

T20I Squad: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rinku Singh, Riyan Parag, Rishabh Pant (WK), Sanju Samson (WK), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, Mohd. Siraj. 

ODI Squad: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (WK), Rishabh Pant (WK), Shreyas Iyer, Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Riyan Parag, Axar Patel, Khaleel Ahmed, Harshit Rana.

VVS Laxman, who served as India’s head coach for the five-match series T20I against Zimbabwe, honoured star finisher Rinku Singh with the ‘Fielder of the Series’ award following their 4-1 triumph. India began the post-Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma T20I era by capping off the series with an imposing 42-run win in the fifth match on Sunday. Even without the presence of the stalwart duo, the tradition of handing the ‘Fielder of the Series’ continued in the new era. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) posted a video of the ceremony on X, with Subhadeep Ghosh announcing the winner of the medal.

Before the ceremony, he showed a video message from former India fielding coach T Dilip, who emphasised the importance of fielding.

“Boys, fielding has always been a paramount to us in Indian cricket, and it’s an aspect of the game where we have set high standards over the years. We should aim to continue to strive for excellence in this area. As we all know, we follow a tradition, which is the fielding medal. The medal is given to a player that makes a significant impact in the game with their fielding,” Dilip said.

Ghosh, who served as India’s fielding coach for the series, hailed each player for the contribution that they made during the series. While talking about the importance of catches, Ghosh announced Rinku as the winner of the ‘Fielder of the Series’ award.

“Another good day in fielding. I think it was a terrific effort from each and every one. I think, in the last five months, we have been thrown into different scenarios and different challenges. As I always say, catching is very, very important. If you take the catches, you can control the game, and you can dominate the game, which we did today,” Ghosh said.

“Every time he steps on the ground, I think he always says, I stand up. I think he always steps on the ground, putting no tools from me. I think this is going to Rinku Singh,” he concluded.

Ghosh called Laxman to present the medal to Rinku for the efforts that he made throughout the series that saw him complete six catches.

“I really enjoyed playing with everyone. It was my 4th or 5th series, so I really enjoyed it. To be honest, I like batting and fielding a lot. I enjoy it a lot. It’s a lot of fun. It’s a lot of fun to run. So what else can I say, God’s Plan,” Rinku said.

India’s next tour will be against Sri Lanka, marking the first assignment of new head coach Gautam Gambhir.

The tour will begin with a three-match T20I series on July 27 at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium. The T20I series will be followed by a three-match ODI series, beginning on August 2 at R Premadasa Stadium.