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.

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.

File photo of Shreyas Iyer© BCCI/Sportzpics

Shreyas Iyer failed to impress in his first match in the Duleep Trophy 2024 as he was dismissed for 9 by Vijaykumar Vyshak during the clash between India C and India D at the Rural Development Trust Stadium in Anantapur on Thursday. Vyshak, who plays for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Indian Premier League (IPL), came up with a brilliant delivery that moved slightly outside the off stump and Iyer ended up edging it to wicket-keeper Abishek Porel behind the stumps. This was a letdown for India D skipper Shreyas Iyer who will be in contention for a spot in the Indian cricket team squad for the two-match Test series against Bangladesh starting September 19.

Meanwhile, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, and Prasidh Krishna, all three white-ball experts, will miss the first round of the Duleep Trophy.

Wicketkeeper batter Ishan Kishan has been ruled out of the first round of the Duleep Trophy, due to a groin injury sustained during the ongoing All-India Buchi Babu Tournament.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Medical Team is closely monitoring his condition and working towards ensuring a swift recovery.

The Men’s Selection Committee has named Sanju Samson as Kishan’s replacement in the India D squad, the BCCI informed in a statement.

Batter Suryakumar Yadav will also be unavailable for the first Duleep Trophy round after suffering a right thumb sprain while fielding in the All-India Buchi Babu Tournament.

The BCCI Medical Team is continuing to assess his injury, and a further evaluation next week will determine his availability for the second round.

Fast bowler Prasidh Krishna will miss the upcoming event as he is nearing completion of his rehab following surgery for his left quadriceps tendon and will miss the first-round game of the Duleep Trophy.

Teams:

India C (Playing XI): Ruturaj Gaikwad(c), Sai Sudharsan, Rajat Patidar, Abishek Porel(w), Baba Indrajith, Aryan Juyal, Hrithik Shokeen, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Manav Suthar, Anshul Kamboj, Himanshu Chauhan.

India D (Playing XI): Devdutt Padikkal, Yash Dubey, Ricky Bhui, Shreyas Iyer(c), Srikar Bharat, Atharva Taide(w), Axar Patel, Saransh Jain, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Aditya Thakare.

(With IANS inputs)

Shreyas Iyer copying Sunil Narine’s action© X (Twitter)

India dasher Suryakumar Yadav will turn up for Mumbai in their Buchi Babu contest against TNCA XI, beginning in Coimbatore on Tuesday, with an aim to get his Test career back on track. Shreyas Iyer, also part of Mumbai’s squad, too will be looking to make a statement in the pre-season event, having last played a Test in February. The star-studded Mumbai side will be captained by Sarfaraz Khan, who too will be jostling find space in a full strength Test squad when the home season begins next month despite a promising beginning against England earlier this year.

The likes of Virat Kohli, K L Rahul and Rishabh Pant, who were not available for different reasons over course of the five games against England, are expected to be available for the two Test series against Bangladesh beginning September 19 in Chennai.

The centre of attention in the round three of the Buchi Babu match undoubtedly will be Suryakumar, who recently led India to victory in his first series as T20 skipper. Not in the team’s ODI plans for the moment, the 33-year-old remains determined to play in all three formats. His sole Test appearance came against Australia in February 2023.

Since then, he has continued to flourish in white-ball cricket before taking up the T20 International captaincy duties for the Men in Blue. Effectively, the Buchi Babu outing will be a mere warm-up for Suryakumar and others in the mix, given they all will be part of the Duleep Trophy beginning September 5.

Suryakumar’s last competitive outing in First-Class cricket came during the Duleep Trophy last year.

Playing for West Zone, Suryakumar managed only 71 runs in four innings at an average of just 17.75, with a top score of 52, while his side, led by Priyank Panchal, lost the final to South Zone by 75 runs.

Besides Surya, Sarfaraz and Shreyas will also be among the attractions in the Mumbai squad.

Sarfaraz, who made his Test debut earlier this year against England, has been promising with the bat, managing 200 runs in five innings at an average of 50.00, including three half-centuries.

As for Iyer, he is yet to leave a mark in the longest format after 14 Tests, while since January 2023, he has only managed 187 runs in 12 innings at an average of only 17.00, with a top score of only 35.

Therefore, while there is no headache for Sarfaraz heading into this Buchi Babu meet, the upcoming domestic season holds more significance for Iyer,who will will be leading Team D in the Duleep Trophy.

Mumbai’s opponents TNCA XI will be led by R Sai Kishore, who was the leading wicket-taker in Ranji Trophy last season.

TNCA XI: R Sai Kishore (c), Pradosh Ranjan Paul (vc), Mokit RS Hariharan, G Ajitesh, Indrajith Baba, Boopathi Vaishna Kumar, S Lokeshwar (wk), SR Athish (wk), R Sonu Yadav, P Vidyuth, S Lakshya Jain, S Ajith Ram, G Govinth, CV Achyuth, H Trilok Nag and V Yudheeswaran.

Mumbai: Sarfaraz Khan (c), Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Akhil Herwadkar, Divyansh Saxena, Musheer Khan, Vedant Murkar, Siddhanth Addhatrao, Suryansh Shedge, Shams Mulani, Tanush Kotian, Himanshu Singh, Atharva Ankolekar, Roystan Dias, Mohit Avasthi, Sylvester Dsouza and Junaid Khan.

The CEAT Cricket Rating Awards 2024 honoured some of the best Indian cricketers of the year, both men and women. However, amidst players like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Rahul Dravid being felicitated, cricket fans went gaga over a wonderful moment between two India stalwarts. During the event, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain and India’s ODI middle-order pillar Shreyas Iyer was seen leaving his seat for India’s Test and ODI captain Rohit Sharma. Fans lapped up the heartwarming moment, as the video went viral on social media.

In an event packed with stars, India captain Rohit Sharma was spotted struggling to find a seat. Soon, Shreyas got up from his seat and Rohit replaced him there, as Shreyas went and sat in the row in front. Whether the KKR batsman gave up the seat or Rohit asked it is unclear, but the two were seen exchanging smiles.

Skipper Shreyas Iyer’s beautiful gesture for Hitman Rohit Sharma pic.twitter.com/uQEoNl5a1Z

— KKR Vibe (@KnightsVibe) August 21, 2024

Rohit was awarded the award of ‘International Cricketer of the Year’ at the CEAT Cricket Rating Awards. Rohit – who is also sponsored by CEAT – had been India’ top run-scorer as the nation ended an 11-year drought for a major ICC trophy, winning the 2024 T20 World Cup in June.

Shreyas, on the other hand, had guided KKR to a dominant IPL 2024 title win, and took home the ‘T20 Leadership’ award on the night.

Full list of awards:

Men’s International Cricketer of the Year: Rohit Sharma

Test Batter of the Year: Yashasvi Jaiswal

Test Bowler of the Year: R Ashwin

ODI Batter of the Year: Virat Kohli

ODI Bowler of the Year: Mohammed Shami

T20I Batter of the Year: Phil Salt

T20I Bowler of the Year: Tim Southee

T20 Leadership award: Shreyas Iyer (KKR)

Lifetime Achievement: Rahul Dravid

Award for excellent in sports administration: Jay Shah

Most matches as captain in women’s T20I history: Harmanpreet Kaur

Women’s Indian bowler of the year: Deepti Sharma

Fastest double-century in women’s Test: Shafali Verma

The 17th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) was marred by chaos surrounding the captaincy change at Mumbai Indians (MI). The five-time champions made a big call heading in the IPL 2024, replacing long-serving skipper Rohit Sharma with Hardik Pandya, with the franchise bringing him back from Gujarat Titans as part of an all cash deal. This led to further speculations of a rift between Rohit and Hardik. This alleged bad blood between the two led to MI finishing at the bottom spot in the points.

While the two seem to have sorted their differences during the T20 World Cup, which India won earlier this year, reports have been floating that Rohit has been approached by multiple franchises to become their captain for the next season.

However, the problem doesn’t seem to end here for MI as a report has now claimed that Suryakumar Yadav, who was recently named captain of India’s T20I side, has been approached by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to become their skipper, starting with IPL 2025.

According to a YouTube video by journalist Rohit Juglan, Suryakumar could re-united with his former team with KKR making an unofficial offer to him. The report also claimed that KKR are ready to do a trade deal with MI for Suryakumar, with Shreyas Iyer, who guided them to the title last year, going the other way.

This could indeed be a possibility with a mega auction set to be held before the new season next year.

However, on the video by the journalist, there has been no official reaction from KKR.

Meanwhile, both Suryakumar and Iyer are playing for Mumbai in the ongoing Buchi Babu Invitational Tournament.

After Suryakumar confirmed his participation earlier this month, the Mumbai Cricket Association’s joint secretary, Deepak Patil, issued a statement on Tuesday confirming Iyer’s availability for the match against Jammu and Kashmir.

“Shreyas Iyer will play for the Mumbai team at the Buchi Babu Invitational tournament organised by Tamil Nadu Cricket Association. He will be playing the Mumbai v Jammu & Kashmir match to be played from August 27 at Coimbatore,” Patil announced.

The Buchi Babu Tournament, a historic fixture in India’s domestic cricket scene, will serve as a crucial platform for both Iyer and Suryakumar to fine-tune their games. Earlier, the BCCI had encouraged India internationals to participate in domestic tournaments ahead of the upcoming international season, recognising the importance of match practice in maintaining peak performance.

File photo of BCCI Secretary Jay Shah.© BCCI

India cricket icons Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid among others have come together to donate for a charity auction, benefitting the Vipla Foundation, an organisation striving to empower unprivileged communities in India. The auction was organised by Indian wicket-keeper batter KL Rahul and his wife Athiya Shetty, titled ‘Cricket for a Cause: To Benefit the Vipla Foundation’. Several iconic items of cricket memorabilia has been put up for an auction, the receipts of which will directly benefit the Vipla Foundation.

Some of the fascinating cricket memorabilia that will be auctioned are a signed cricket bat from IPL 2024 by MS Dhoni, signed cricket bats from the 2023 World Cup by Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul and a signed Indian cricket team jersey by Virat Kohli from the 2019 World Cup. These starting bids for these items range from Rs 50,000 to Rs 3,50,000.

The Vipla Foundation has been actively striving to empower women and children for 36 years, and have even set up a special school for the hearing impaired and intellectually disabled. From smart classrooms to speech therapy rooms and play areas, the school is adorned with modern facilities. The auction aims to further boost the facilities in order to help underprivileged children of various kinds.

“This is not just an auction; it’s an opportunity for all of us to come together and make a difference. It’s heartwarming to see the cricketing legends come together for such a noble cause. Every item tells a story of passion, hard work, and triumph,” said Mana Shetty, the trustee of the Vipla Foundation.

A total of 27 items will be auctioned off. A signed bat by Rahul Dravid from India’s tour to England in 2011, signed India jerseys by R Ashwin and Jasprit Bumrah, signed Rajasthan Royals jerseys by from Sanju Samson, Jos Buttler and Yuzvendra Chahal, signed Chennai Super Kings jersey by Ravindra Jadeja, signed bats by Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant and Marcus Stoinis, and more.