Both Rohit and Virat weren’t able to perform well throughout the 3 New Zealand Tests and couldn’t even cross the 100-run mark in the 6 innings that they individually played in the series.

Gavaskar believes that the duo didn’t enjoy any sort of luck throughout the New Zealand series and this only made things worse for them.

“Even the best of players go through bad patches. These weren’t easy pitches to bat on in all three matches. Except, perhaps, the second innings in Bengaluru. Sometimes you need a bit of luck… like you make the first mistake and the ball goes only near the stump. Somebody drops a catch, a close LBW goes in your favour. All these things can happen. But when going through a bad patch, everything goes against you. Somebody takes a brilliant catch, you get a great delivery. I won’t read too much into it,” Gavaskar told the Indian Express.

The legendary cricketer opined that the duo should have participated in Duleep Trophy before the New Zealand Tests and also pointed out the importance of match practice.

“They should have had some practice, definitely. It’s a long gap. I know we beat Bangladesh and therefore it looked as if it’s going to be a cakewalk against New Zealand. But New Zealand obviously had the better attack. And players who play in India, in the IPL, have a sense of what Indian pitches do. Almost half the New Zealand side played here during various stages of the IPL. So, they have an idea of what the pitches do,” Gavaskar said.

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While on one hand Shreyas made the Mumbai squad for their first 2 Ranji Trophy matches, on the other Sarfaraz Khan is almost certain to feature for the Men in Blue in New Zealand Tests.

Shreyas was dropped from the Indian Test team earlier this year, during the home series against England, after a string of poor performances. He managed to score just 187 runs in 12 innings across 7 Test matches with not a single fifty before eventually getting dropped.

The 29-year-old wasn’t able to prove the selectors wrong in the Duleep Trophy either as he only managed to score 154 runs in the whole campaign. Shreyas did score 2 fifties but was also dismissed twice for a duck in the domestic tournament.

Shreyas will have another chance to prove that he deserves a place in India’s red-ball team in the Ranji Trophy openers where he will be featuring for Mumbai. Some good performances with the bat may turn things around for him.

On the other hand. according to a report in PTI, Sarfaraz, who smashed a match-winning and record-equalling double-century, en route to 222 in the Irani Cup match, is expected to retain his place in the India squad for the New Zealand Tests.

The post Shreyas Iyer unlikely to make Test return, Sarfaraz Khan set for New Zealand series: Report appeared first on Cricket Country.

However, Mukesh’s brilliant displays in the recently-concluded Duleep Trophy and Irani Cup have helped in making a strong case for him ahead of the 3-match Test series against New Zealand at home and the the Border-Gavaskar series.

In Duleep Trophy, Mukesh picked up a total of 15 wickets the second-highest in the domestic tournament’s 2024/25 season. Then in the Irani Cup last week, he picked up a 5-wicket haul for the Rest of India team.

Though these performances have put Mukesh back in the reckoning for the Indian Test team, the 30-year-old largely remains unfazed with being pipped by fellow domestic teammate Akash Deep in India’s pecking order for fast bowlers.

“I was primarily focusing on this game, how to plan a wicket, how to justify the faith that the captain has shown in me,” Mukesh told Sportstar.

“Selection and all will keep happening. If I have done well and am deserving, I will definitely be selected. There will be many more opportunities to perform in other matches as well,” Mukesh added.

Mukesh believes that Australian conditions will favour the pacers and thus there is a possibility that he may get selected as a backup pacer for the Border-Gavaskar series that is set to commence from November 22.

“Actually, playing for India was the only target that I had set for myself. Once I achieved it, I have realised playing in each of the other countries is going to be a matter of pride,” Mukesh said.

“From what I have heard, wickets are helpful for pacers, with pace and bounce to offer. I have obviously been thinking of bowling there and doing my best should I get an opportunity,” Mukesh added.

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Ruturaj has been one the most consistent performers in the shortest format among the emerging stars. His consistency also saw his IPL franchise Chennai Super Kings make him the successor of MS Dhoni as skipper. But, for the Indian team, he continues to be snubbed.

Ishan, on the other hand, scored a ton in both the Buchi Babu tournament and Duleep Trophy, giving the perfect example of his intent. But, he still remains out of the selectors’ plans.

India’s squad for 3 T20Is against Bangladesh: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Rinku Singh, Hardik Pandya, Riyan Parag, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Mayank Yadav.

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However, a report from has now suggested that the Indian team management remains unimpressed with his performances in the longest format since his return. It seems like the issue with Rahul’s batting approach is coming back to haunt him.

Rahul had a decent Duleep Trophy outing, playing knocks of 37 and 57 in the first and second innings respectively. However, he also drew criticism for his indecision in crucial moments and his reluctance to play attacking strokes. This hesitancy to keep the scoreboard ticking also raised several eyebrows.

Rahul’s struggles continued in the Test against Bangladesh where in the first innings, he arrived to the crease at a time when India had just suffered a top-order collapse and he had to steady the Men in Blue’s ship alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal. However, Rahul’s knock of 16 runs off 52 deliveries, wasn’t able to help India much. His  lack of assertiveness and his inability to capitalise on the situation invited strong criticism from fans and experts alike.

Though Rahul later played an attacking cameo, scoring an unbeaten 22 runs off 19 deliveries as India needed to finish the second innings strong before declaration, his overall poor form remains to be a major concern for the team.

A BCCI official has now told The Telegraph there is a sense that Rahul looked to be in “kind of a shell”, especially in the first innings.

“That was not just in Chennai, but in this year’s Duleep Trophy too,” the BCCI official said. 

The post KL Rahul given harsh feedback after disappointing display in Chennai Test: Report appeared first on Cricket Country.

India D, who started the final day’s play at 244/5, ended their second innings at 305, leaving India B with a target of 373 in little over 70 overs. Arshdeep and Aditya Thakare (4/59) then bowled unchanged for 22.2 overs to bundle out India B for only 115 runs.

Arshdeep also went on to record his best-ever match figures of 9/90 and also dismissed India’s T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav in both the innings.

A total of 8 India B batters failed to log double digit scores and it was mainly thanks to Nitish Reddy’s knock of 40 that saw Abhimanyu Easwaran’s side cross the 100-run mark.

India B thus ended the campaign with seven points from three games, having won their opening match and then getting a point after conceding the first-innings lead.

On the other hand, India D who had lost the first 2 games outright, will finish last despite logging full 6 points in their final match.

Arshdeep, who recently got snubbed by Yash Dayal as India’s left-arm pacer for the Bangladesh Test series, certainly sent a big message to the BCCI with his fiery spell and it will be interesting to see whether he will be picked for India’s upcoming Test series against New Zealand.

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With 12 boundaries and three massive sixes in his 106 off 101 deliveries, Samson—who blasted his way to an undefeated 89 on the first day—scored the necessary 11 runs.

India D didn’t last long despite Samson’s century; after starting the day at 306 for 5, they lost five wickets and added 43 runs, with Delhi quick Navdeep Saini doing the most of the damage.

Not included in any of the squads at first, Saini (5/74 in 18.3 overs) is demonstrating a newfound sense of purpose by securing his sixth five-for in first-class cricket and his first in a long time. Saini appeared to have found his way back into the selectors’ minds with 11 scalps in his first three outings.

Easwaran stood out among the others during India B’s 170-ball batting performance, which featured 13 fours and a six.

Critics have pointed out that Easwaran, 29, doesn’t score on major domestic days when the bowling attack is a bit top notch, but he will keep the five wise men intrigued about him after scoring 157 not out in the previous game.

At one point, India B was sitting pretty at 88 for 2, but Arshdeep returned for his second delivery and, using an SG Test ball that was a little older, found Musheer Khan (5) squarely in front.

The main attraction for everyone who attended the event was Suryakumar, but he was out after just 15 balls by Aditya Thakare after Arshdeep bowled him.

To make matters worse, Arshdeep also induced an edge off all-rounder Nitish Reddy (0) to Samson with India B tottering at 100 for 5.

But Easwaran kept his composure in presence of Washington Sundar (39 batting) as the duo added 105 runs for the sixth wicket.

The India B skipper was out at the fag end of the day, when Thakare (2/33) got him caught behind the stumps.

Brief Scores: India D 1st Innings: 349 in 87.3 overs (Sanju Samson 106, Navdeep Saini 5/74). India B 1st Innings 210/6 in 56 overs (Abhimanyu Easwaran 116, Washington Sundar 39 batting, Arshdeep Singh 3/30).

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Only Shams Mulani (44 off 76), who bats left-handed for Baroda in local cricket, provided support for the left-hander when India A was reduced to 36 for five in the 20th over.

The captain Mayank Agarwal, Riyan Parag, Tilak Varma, and centurion Pratham Singh all scored single digits in the previous game. Anshul Kamboj, the pacer for India C, was once again the team’s most valuable bowler after taking eight wickets in one innings last week.

Rawat, who amassed 15 fours in his undefeated 235-ball effort, had a knock to remember. Throughout his magnificent innings, the graceful southpaw produced a variety of wonderful strokes, such as reverse sweeps off the spinners and cover drives.

After helping the squad win the previous game with the bat, bowling all-rounder Mulani again came to the team’s aid with the bat in a crucial 87-run partnership.

On day two, India C, who currently top the Duleep Trophy rankings with nine points, will want to dismiss India A as soon as possible.

India Agarwal, the captain, has not had a memorable tournament, and on Thursday, his poor performance continued. The same is true for Riyan Parag, who made many promises but hasn’t been able to commit time to the midfield.

Brief scores: 224/7 in 77 overs (Shashwat Rawat 122 batting, Shams Mulani 44; Anshul Kamboj 3/40, Vijaykumar Vyshak 2/33).

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Leg-spinner Rahul Chahar (3/60) took three wickets and was the most impressive bowler for India B. India B won the toss and chose to field first at the Rural Development Trust Stadium. Mukesh Kumar (1/37) and Navdeep Saini (1/51) both claimed a wicket.

Padikkal and Bharat put established a strong 105-run partnership to start the innings. But Saini’s wicket-taking of Padikkal and Mukesh’s dismissal of Bharat gave them the breakthrough, with wicketkeeper Narayan Jagadeesan taking both catches.

With their exit, Nishant Sindhu scored just 19 runs before being removed, and India D’s momentum was stopped at 175 for four with Chahar’s removal of captain Iyer.

After that, Bhui took over and led the team past 200 runs with 41 runs added with Samson. However, Chahar struck once more, dismissing Bhui to leave India D at 216 for five.

To keep India D on course, Samson persisted, hitting ten fours and three sixes in his 83-ball innings.

Samson scored 90 runs without losing against Jain.

Iyer had another underwhelming performance; although entering with India D in a strong position at 172/3, he was unable to take advantage of the situation.

Iyer has only scored 104 runs in five innings thus far in the tournament (9, 54, 0, 41, 0), average a meager 20.80.

Iyer’s prospects of being selected for the forthcoming series in Australia or the home series against New Zealand seem remote after he was left out of the squad for the first Test against Bangladesh.

Brief Scores:

India D: 306 for five in 77 overs (Sanju Samson 89 not out, Devdutt Padikkal 50, Srikar Bharat 52, Ricky Bhui 56; Rahul Chahar 3/60) vs India B.

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However, he hasn’t been able to find any sort of consistency in the format ever since. His numbers not only deteriorated in overseas conditions but also at home soil. Iyer only scored 146 runs in 8 innings in the last 2 years in India.

After getting dropped from the Test team and getting denied of a central contract by the BCCI, Duleep Trophy did offer Iyer a shot at redemption with the Bangladesh Test series coming up. However, Iyer, who was chosen as the captain of the India D side managed just 104 runs in 4 innings, which also included dismissal for a duck.

Speaking to The Telegraph, a BCCI official, issued a harsh verdict on Iyer as he crushed his hopes of making it back to the Indian Test team.

“At the moment, there’s no room for Shreyas to be in the Test team. Who will he replace? Besides, his shot selection has been a concern in Duleep, especially yesterday (Sunday). He was well set and then suddenly played such a shot (off left-arm spinner Shams Mulani). When you are set and then batting on a flat deck, you need to make the best use of that opportunity,” the BCCI official said.

Iyer still has an opportunity to make up for his low scores in the third and final round of the Duleep Trophy. This will be followed by the Irani Cup where he is likely to play for the Mumbai side and that will be followed by the 2024/25 Ranji Trophy. However, another BCCI official told the national daily that even if the 29-year-old bounces back to form, he is unlikely to be part of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy squad.

“Shreyas could be there (in the Mumbai squad) for the Irani Cup (beginning on October 1 in Lucknow). Even if he’s picked for the Bangladesh T20Is (from October 6), he still might play Irani and then be available from the second T20I onwards,” the other BCCI official said.

“Now, if he doesn’t fire in Irani too, he still has the Ranji Trophy to get runs. It wasn’t too many days ago when he was batting so well in last year’s ODI World Cup. He suffered an injury too, which needs to be considered,” he added.

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