Reddy’s unbeaten 105 took India to 358/9, still 116 runs short of Australia’s first innings score of 474 as rain brought an early end to the third day’s play.

With the flat MCG deck not offering much to the bowlers, saving the Test match shouldn’t be a big deal for the Men in Blue from this position.

Reddy’s combative spirit and the invaluable 127-run stand he shared with Washington Sundar (50 off 162 balls) proved to be the turning point for the hosts.

The 21-year-old Andhra batter could have been left stranded on 99 when Jasprit Bumrah got dismissed, leaving Reddy with last-man in Mohammed Siraj, who walked in to another round of boos and faced 3 deliveries from Australia skipper Pat Cummins.

A picture-perfect straight drive off Scott Boland was the moment of the series for India as Reddy balanced his helmet with the bat and took a knee, expressing his gratitude towards the Indian dug-out which gave him a standing ovation. Sitting in the stands near the boundary, Reddy’s father Muthyala broke down when his son achieved the milestone.

Reddy has been by far India’s most consistent batter in the series and the maiden Test century couldn’t have come at a more opportune time and that too at an iconic venue.

It will be interesting to see how far can the duo of Reddy and Siraj take India’s total to on the fourth day of the Melbourne Test.

The post Nitish Kumar Reddy’s incredible maiden century keeps India afloat on Day 3 of Melbourne Test appeared first on Cricket Country.

Headlined by 19-year-old debutant Sam Konstas’ (60) maiden half-century, Australia ended the first day on 311/6. The likes of Usman Khawaja (57), Marnus Labuschagne (72) and Steve Smith (68*) also scored fifties to guide the Baggy Greens over the 300-run mark.

One of the most important moments of the day came when Bumrah clean-bowled in-form batter Travis Head for a 7-ball duck with an absolute peach of a delivery.

Then, in the next over Bumrah went on to dismiss Mitchell Marsh for just 4 runs to see Australia lose half of their side. The first session may have belonged to the Aussies, but Team India made a comeback later on in the day and dominated the third session by picking up 4 important wickets.

The final session was all about Bumrah magic. The Indian spearhead didn’t let the hosts completely walk away with the game which they threatened to do at one stage. He now has 24 wickets in the series and will be looking to bag even more on the second day of Melbourne Test.

The day was also marred by heated incidents on the field with Mohammed Siraj first having a verbal exchange with Konstas before Kohli ended up shoulder pushing the Australia batter later on during the first session.

The post Jasprit Bumrah shines again, Sam Konstas makes highly impressive debut on Day 1 of Melbourne Test appeared first on Cricket Country.

He landed at the Chennai International Airport early this morning and was escorted out by officials of the state cricket association. The 38-year-old didn’t speak to the waiting media as he hopped into his car where his wife Prithi and 2 daughters were waiting for him.

“It’s emotional for a lot of people, and may be it will sink in (in some time) but for me, personally, it is a great sense of relief and satisfaction. It was very instinctive and it has been running in my head for a while. I just felt (it) on Day 4 and I just called it a day,” Ashwin said, referring to the drawn third Test in Brisbane.

Did Ashwin regret not captaining the national side?

Asked if he regretted not being the captain of the national side, Ashwin dismissed the suggestion.

“I can’t do it now. I have no such regrets. In fact, I have zero regrets. I have seen from a distance those people with regrets but I don’t have any such regrets,” Ashwin added.

“I never thought so many people will come here. I just wanted a quiet entry, and was looking forward to relax at home. But you have made my day. I have played Test cricket for so many years, but the last time (I saw something) like this was after the 2011 World Cup,” Ashwin further said.

Ashwin retired midway through the Border-Gavaskar series

Ashwin on Wednesday announced retirement with immediate effect in the middle of the five-match Test series that is currently locked 1-1 after three games.

“To be honest, we all go through a lot in our career, not only for cricketers but in general. Generally, when I go to sleep I remember a lot of things like taking wickets, making runs, but those memories are not there in the last two years. So, that was a clear indication that we need to take a different route now,” Ashwin said.

“I have not set any new goals, as I just want to relax now. Actually, it’s difficult for me to stay inactive, but I want to try that now,” Ashwin added.

Ashwin will continue to feature in club cricket and IPL

After announcing his retirement, Ashwin also stated that he will continue to play club cricket and will also feature for the Chennai Super Kings in IPL next year.

“I think that part for me is still burning bright. I am going to play for CSK and don’t be surprised if I aspire to play for as long as I can. I don’t think Ashwin the cricketer is done, I think only Ashwin the Indian cricketer called time. That’s it,” Ashwin concluded.

The post ‘A great sense of relief…’: Ravichandran Ashwin gives MASSIVE statement after announcing retirement appeared first on Cricket Country.

MP gave Mumbai a fighting target of 175 to achieve following an incredible batting display from Rajat Patidar, who played an unbeaten inning of 81. Mumbai ended up reaching the target in 17.5 overs, riding on knocks from Suryakumar Yadav (48), Ajinkya Rahane (37) and Suryansh Shedge (36*)

This was Mumbai’s second SMAT title after winning it for the first time in 2022, while MP’s wait for a maiden trophy prolonged to another season.

After a brief period of lull, Suryakumar reactivated his run-making ways and added 52 runs for the third wicket with Rahane.

It helped Mumbai to recover from the early dismissals of Prithvi Shaw and skipper Shreyas Iyer, both of them falling to rather causal shots.

It looked as if the duo would take Mumbai home however, both Suryakumar and Rahne would end up losing their wickets between 3 overs.

At 129 for five in 14.4 overs, Mumbai needed 46 runs but any worries were soon eased by the big-hitting Shedge and Atharva Ankolekar (16*) who knocked off the remaining runs without much fuss in a little over 3 overs.

Brief scores: Madhya Pradesh: 174/8 in 20 overs (Rajat Patidar 81 not out, Subhranshu Senapati 23; Shardul Thakur 2/41, Royston Dias 2/32) lost to Mumbai: 180/5 in 17.5 overs (Suryakumar Yadav 48, Ajinkya Rahane 37, Suryansh Shedge 36 not out; Tripuresh Singh 2/34) by 5 wickets.

The post Mumbai dominate Madhya Pradesh in SMAT final, clinch 63rd domestic title appeared first on Cricket Country.

As India resumed their game at 128/5, the team lost their remaining five wickets while scoring just 27 runs in 12.5 overs. Nitish Kumar Reddy came out as the top run-scorer for India as he scored 42 runs off 47 balls.

Usman Khawaja (9 not out), and Nathan McSweeney (10 not out) chased their target in just 3.2 overs and secured the victory.

Rishabh Pant (28) was the first to go down as he got caught by Steve Smith off Mitchell Starc. R Ashwin (7), Harshit Rana (0), and Mohammed Siraj (7) followed in quick succession.

Skipper Pat Cummins was the pick of bowlers as he made number of 5/57, along with Scott Boland with numbers of 3/51, and Mitchell Starc with numbers of 2/60.

India registered a dominating 295-run victory in the series opener in Perth, but they failed to keep that performance in Adelaide.

Brief Score:

India: 180 and 175 all-out in 36.5 overs
Australia: 337 and 19 in 3.2 overs

The post Australia beat India by 10 wickets: Level the series 1-1 after Pink-ball Test appeared first on Cricket Country.

Saikia, who hails from Assam and is also a former first-class cricketer has become the current joint BCCI Secretary.

Binny used his constitutional powers to appoint Saikia as acting secretary as an arrangement until a permanent secretary is appointed under BCCI rules and regulations.

“The president shall in the event of vacancy or indisposition shall delegate the functions to another office bearer until the vacancy is duly filled up or indisposition ceases,” Binny wrote to Saikia.

“Accordingly, I delegate the functions of secretary to you till the post is filled up by processes laid down as per BCCI rules and regulations. I am confident you will perform the duties to the best of your abilities and with aplomb,” Binny further wrote.

It is understood that Saikia will continue in this role till September next year before the vacancy is permanently filled up. 

The post Devajit Saikia set to replace Jay Shah as the acting secretary of BCCI appeared first on Cricket Country.

A source that resides close to the cricket has stated that the ‘fitness certificate’ from the NCA will come very soon.

“Shami’s India kit has already been dispatched to Australia. He will complete Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20 assignment and then leave,” the source said.

Shami played for India last time in the ODI World Cup in November 2023, and was forced to a long rest period due to a surgery in his ankle that needed surgery.

Since the knockout round of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) is being held in Bengaluru, it is sought that Dr. Nitin Patel, the medical team head of the National Cricket Academy (NCA), along with Strength and Conditioning trainer Nishant Bordoloi will be evaluating him after Bengal finish he national T20 championship.

“Shami will be playing the pre-quarter final for us against Chandigarh. He will join us in Bengaluru by tomorrow. However, I am not sure if he will be available if we qualify for quarters or go the distance. Guess he will be fit and available for last two Australia Tests,” said Bengal coach Laxmi Ratan Shukla.

Shukla reflected the beliefs of former India head Ravi Shastri, who believes that Shami should be joining Indian team as early as possible.

The post Mohammed Shami set to play Last 2 Tests of Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25: Will be leaving after SMAT Tournament appeared first on Cricket Country.

The trio of pacers Mitchell Starc, Scott Boland, and Pat Cummins broke through the top-order Indian batters and put Australia in the leading side as Travis Head (140) and Marnus Labuschagne (64) helped their team tale a decent lead of 157 runs after the first innings.

The Indian batters struggled to find gaps in the bowling by Australia as the hosts seemed to be on a higher ground with the pink ball, as the visitors were half down by the 21st over.

when they resumed their innings at 86/1, Travis head scored a massive century along with Labuschagne who scored a fifty.

Jasprit Bumrah (4/61) and Mohammed Siraj (4/98) shared 8 wickets for the Indian side.

Travis Head got dropped twice, and he made most of the opportunity, as he scored almost a run-per-ball 140. This score of 140 runs was scored in 141 runs, which included 17 fours and 4 sixes.

Brief scores:

India: 180 & 128 for 5 in 24 overs (Rishabh Pant and Shubman Gill batting)
Australia: 337 all out in 87.3 overs

The post India crawl at 128/5, trail Australia by 29 runs on Day 2 of Adelaide Test appeared first on Cricket Country.

“Anything (opening or middle order),” Rahul told reporters ahead of India’s training session at the Adelaide Oval.

“I just want to be in the playing XI, which means wherever. You go there and bat and play for the team,” Rahul added.

Rahul started his Test career in Australia exactly a decade back as a middle-order batter, who later opened. His batting slot in both the Test and ODI set-up was far from steady all these years and this affected him mentally.

“I have batted in many positions. Earlier it was a bit of a challenge, not technically but mentally about how to play those first 20-25 balls,” Rahul said.

“How early can I attack? How much do I need to be cautious? Those were things that were tricky early on. But now that I have played in Tests and ODIs all over the place, it has given me an idea of how I want to manage my innings,” Rahul added.

It will be interesting to see whether Rahul will open the batting alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal in the Adelaide Test as well following their very successful display against the Baggy Greens in Perth.

Also, in India’s recent practice pink-ball match against Prime Minister’s XI, Rohit came out to bat at the fifth spot so there is a possibility that the Indian skipper won’t be opening the batting like he usually dos.

The post “Just want to be…”: KL Rahul gives HUGE update on his batting position in Adelaide Test appeared first on Cricket Country.

Gambhir missed India’s 2-day pink-ball practice match against the Prime Minister’s XI at Manuka Oval, which was reduced to a 46-overs-a-side contest due to inclement weather.

He had left the touring party on November 26, the scheduled final day of the first Test in Perth. The second Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, a pink-ball day-nighter, will start on Friday.

Finalizing the playing XI for the second Test is definitely going to be a challenge for Gambhir especially when it comes to the batting order. The Men in Blue have been further strengthened with the arrival of skipper Rohit Sharma, who missed the series opener due to the birth of his second child.

Not only this, Shubman Gill who missed the first Test due to a thumb injury, impressed with his knock of 50 in the match against PM’s XI. Gambhir will definitely have his task cut out as he gets down to select the playing XI.

The Indian team arrived in Adelaide from Canberra on Monday afternoon and will have three practice sessions – out of which two will be under lights on Tuesday and Thursday.

The post Gautam Gambhir to rejoin Indian team on Tuesday, set to make HUGE call on batting order appeared first on Cricket Country.