India were dealt a telling blow on Saturday after star top-order batter Shubman Gill sustained a left thumb fracture which is likely to rule him out of the opening Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy at the Optus Stadium in Perth, starting November 22. Gill, one of the young heroes of India’s last Border-Gavaskar Trophy triumph, is a batting mainstay and in case skipper Rohit Sharma opts out of the first Test, India’s top-order could look very thin. In considerable pain Gill got hurt while fielding on the second day of the intra-squad match simulation. He was seen in considerable pain and immediately left the field for further scans. According to a BCCI source privy to the development, Gill has indeed fractured his left thumb and with less than a week left for the Test to start, it will be near impossible for the stylish right-hander to get fit in time for the opening match. A thumb fracture generally takes around 14 days to heal after which one is expected to start his regular net sessions. Since the second Test in Adelaide starts from December 6, there remains a possibility that he will get fit in time for that match. Also Read: Mohinder hits out in new book 'Fearless', next one set to be more explosive Gill’s absence could be massive for the national team as he is not only a stable No. 3 batter, but in case of Rohit’s absence, he could be considered for opening the innings with Yashasvi Jaiswal. The other man in contention, KL Rahul, has a bruised elbow after getting hit by a Prasidh Krishna short ball on the opening day of the intra-squad match and was forced to leave the field. Rahul’s bruised area needed icing and he didn’t take the field on the second day of the match simulation on Saturday although it is being seen more as a precautionary measure. In case Gill is absent, Abhimanyu Easwaran could be in line for his Test debut as India do not have too many options left. Good news from Shami Bengal’s Mohammed Shami, who has bowled more than 43.2 overs, took seven wickets and scored 37 runs in the Ranji Trophy match against Madhya Pradesh, is certainly going to join the team before the second Test. The last day of the match simulation will happen at the WACA on Sunday after which the India ‘A’ squad, barring reserve players, will be back to India and join their respective state teams for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. 259No. of runs scored by Shubman Gill in 3 Tests in Oz @ 51.80 This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
17 November,2024 08:46 AM IST | New Delhi/Perth | PTIIndia captain Rohit Sharma has been blessed with a baby boy and there is a possibility that he will make it to the Perth Test against Australia starting November 22. His wife Ritika Sajdeh gave birth to a baby boy in Mumbai on Friday night. In an Instagram post, Rohit and Ritika shared the news with an animated picture of his four-member family after the addition of a new member. “FAMILY - the one where we are FOUR,” read the caption on the photo while the caption on the post marked the birth date - “15.11.2024”. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Rohit Sharma (@rohitsharma45) Rohit didn’t travel to Australia with the rest of the Indian squad as Ritika was expecting their second child. The couple have a daughter Samaira, born in 2018.With less than a week left for the first Test, it is not clear if Rohit, after just a couple of practice sessions, will play the match even if he decides to travel to Australia at the earliest, but nothing can be ruled out as of now. Also Read: India ‘A’ batter Devdutt Padikkal asked to extend stay in Australia There were doubts about Rohit’s participation in the first Test although head coach Gautam Gambhir was quite hopeful that the captain might just be available.The Indian team currently need its skipper and opening batter as the top order is looking way too brittle. While Rohit hasn’t exactly been in the best of form, but he would still any day be better than Abhimanyu Easwaran, who has looked out of depth against bounce and seam movement. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
17 November,2024 08:28 AM IST | Mumbai | AgenciesWith Shubman Gill likely to miss the opening Test against Australia due to a left thumb fracture, the team management is expected to ask Devdutt Padikkal to stay on as cover. Padikkal, who is currently with the India ‘A’ squad in Perth, could be included in the playing XI if the star top-order batter is ruled out. The 24-year-old Padikkal scored 65 in his only Test against England earlier this year. Also Read: Mohinder Amarnath hits out in new book 'Fearless', next one set to be more explosive Team India are currently playing a three-day match simulation against India ‘A’, set to conclude today at the WACA.
17 November,2024 08:16 AM IST | Mumbai | Debasish DattaSiddesh Lad and Angkrish Raghuvanshi made prudent fifties as Mumbai registered a facile nine-wicket win over Services on the fourth and final day of their Ranji Trophy Elite Group ‘A’ match here on Saturday. Mumbai earn six points Mumbai, resuming from overnight 24 for one, breezed past the target of 135 in 35.4 overs. Lad (73 not out, 8x4, 2x6) and Raghuvanshi (55 not out, 6x4) milked 128 runs for the unbroken second wicket stand as Mumbai ended up at 137 for one at Palam ground. The victory enabled Mumbai to maintain their third sport in the group with 22 points, behind Baroda (27) and Jammu and Kashmir (23) after five rounds. Services stayed put on the fifth slot with 13 points. The next round of Ranji Trophy will begin from January 23, 2025 after finishing the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy white ball tournaments. Also Read: Mohinder hits out in new book 'Fearless', next one set to be more explosive Meanwhile, at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, in New Delhi, skipper Ayush Badoni played the most defining knock of his short but eventful first-class career. Badoni hits unbeaten 205 Badoni’s maiden double hundred unbeaten 205 not only gave Delhi three points against Jharkhand but more importantly kept them in contention for a possible quarter-final berth on Saturday. Delhi are third in Group ‘D’ with 14 points from five games and would need two outright wins in January against Saurashtra and Railways to qualify for the quarter-finals. The innings almost single-handedly carried Delhi past Jharkhand’s more than decent first innings score of 382. In fact, on 199, Badoni lofted Jharkhand’s left-arm spinner Anukul Roy into the stands to give his team the first innings lead and also completed his individual milestone. Brief scoresServices 240 and 182 lost to Mumbai 288 and 137-1 (S Lad 73*, A Raghuvanshi 55*) by nine wickets This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
17 November,2024 08:13 AM IST | New Delhi | PTIFast bowler Spencer Johnson grabbed a career-best 5-26 and propelled Australia to a 13-run win over Pakistan as the home team clinched the three-match T20I series with a game to spare Saturday. Johnson sliced through the top order and Pakistan crumbled to 134 all out in the final over that gave Australia a decisive 2-0 lead in Josh Inglis’ first series as skipper. Usman Khan made a fighting 52 and Irfan Khan scored unbeaten 37 but the visitors otherwise struggled with Johnson’s pace on a bouncy wicket with captain Mohammad Rizwan (16) the only other batter to cross the double-figure mark. Also Read: Pakistan Scrabble Association alleges visa delays, MEA fires back calling it 'misleading' Australia, beaten by Pakistan 2-1 in the preceding ODI series, will eye a sweep Monday at Hobart. Brief scoresAustralia 147-9 in 20 overs (M Short 32; H Rauf 4-22, A Afridi 3-17) beat Pakistan 134 all out in 19.4 overs (Usman Khan 52; S Johnson 5-26) by 13 runs This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
17 November,2024 08:12 AM IST | Sydney | AP | PTISouth Africa’s white-ball coach, Rob Walter, refused to make excuses for his team’s 3-1 T20I series defeat to India but highlighted the ongoing “balancing act” of fielding competitive XIs while expanding the player pool. Speaking after South Africa’s crushing 135-run loss in the fourth T20I at the Wanderers, Walter took responsibility for the team’s performance but also defended the long-term strategy of exposing younger players to top-level cricket. Also Read: Mohinder hits out in new book 'Fearless', next one set to be more explosive “We still need to be better, and that starts with me as the head coach of the team. To grow the net of players, there are times we have to play younger guys, even in big series against good teams. “Ultimately, that’s where they’re going to learn the most. But it’s a balancing act, and there’s no right or wrong way. We’re trying to get it right,” Walter said in the post-match press conference. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
17 November,2024 08:11 AM IST | Johannesburg | IANSIndia skipper Suryakumar Yadav has hailed Tilak Varma for “walking the talk,” as the youngster unlocked his potential as India’s new No. 3 batter with sensational back-to-back centuries that powered their 3-1 T20 International series triumph in South Africa. Various batters have been tried out in recent times for the crucial position once owned by Virat Kohli, with the team think-tank even experimenting with Rishabh Pant during the T20 World Cup, albeit with little success. Since then, players like Ruturaj Gaikwad, Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson have all had stints at No. 3 before skipper Suryakumar Yadav took over the role. However, after being entrusted with the crucial No. 3 spot in the last two T20Is of the series, Varma, 22, has firmly grabbed the position with both hands. Surya’s sacrifice Skipper Suryakumar Yadav, who sacrificed his spot for the Mumbai Indians all-rounder, couldn’t agree more. Suryakumar Yadav “It was actually running in my mind that there has been a time when one man has batted consistently at No. 3 and has done wonders for India,” Suryakumar told reporters after India’s massive 135-run win in the fourth T20I that completed their 3-1 series triumph. “So, this was a perfect opportunity for a young guy, definitely for him, who is showing a lot of promise. We both actually spoke to each other and he took up the responsibility. He just walked the talk. The way he batted at SuperSport and here was incredible. Hope he continues, not only in T20s but in all formats.” In an aggressive batting display, India posted a huge 283 for 1, the fifth-highest total in men’s T20Is. Also Read: Mohinder hits out in new book 'Fearless', next one set to be more explosive Tilak finished with an unbeaten 120 off 47 balls, while opener Sanju Samson, after two ducks in the last two games, slammed 109 not out off 56 to make it three hundreds in five outings. Together, they hammered 210 runs off 86 balls for the second wicket—the highest T20I partnership for India for any wicket. “Even before the [winning] the T20I WC, we played a few T20Is. We spoke about what brand and what type of cricket we wanted to play going forward,” Suryakumar said. “We play IPL for different franchises, but when we come together, we wanted to do the same thing we do for our franchise, be on the same page, and play a different brand of cricket. Post T20I WC, we just followed the same thing we did there.” Dominance without stars The victory underlined India’s new-found dominance in T20I cricket, even after the retirement of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja and especially without many of their regulars like Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill. “I think it says a lot about how strong the base of Indian cricket is,” the T20I skipper said. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
17 November,2024 08:10 AM IST | Johannesburg | PTIIndia captain Rohit Sharma and his wife, Ritika Sajdeh, on Saturday announced the arrival of their newborn child. Rohit Sharma took to Instagram to share the news, revealing that their family of three had now grown to four, with a subtle reference to the beloved sitcom 'Friends'. He wrote, "The FAMILY, the one where we are four." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Rohit Sharma (@rohitsharma45) Rohit Sharma captioned the post with the date "15.11.2024," indicating the birth date of their second child. The couple have a daughter Samaira, who was born in 2018. Rohit Sharma did not travel with the Indian team to Perth ahead of the Border-Gavaskar series opener owing to the birth of his second child. With less than a week remaining before the series begins, it is still uncertain whether Rohit will feature in the opening Test against Australia. Meanwhile, Rohit's compatriot KL Rahul and actress Athiya Shetty are also soon to be parents. The couple recently announced their pregnancy on Instagram with a note: "Our beautiful blessing is coming soon. 2025 (baby feet emojis)." The post also featured clip art of the evil eye. Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul have both been included in India’s squad for the series. The much-anticipated Border-Gavaskar series between India and Australia kicks off on November 22, with the first Test in Perth. The second Test, a day-night fixture, will be held under lights at Adelaide Oval from December 6-10. Fans will then turn their attention to The Gabba in Brisbane for the third Test, which will be held from December 14-18. The traditional Boxing Day Test, scheduled from December 26-30, will take place at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground and will mark the penultimate stage of the series. The fifth and final Test will be held at the Sydney Cricket Ground from January 3-7, 2025, and promises to be a thrilling climax to what is expected to be a highly competitive series. India squad for Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 Rohit Sharma (C), Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (WK), Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar Travelling reserves Mukesh Kumar, Navdeep Saini, Khaleel Ahmed Australia Squad for BGT Series OpenerPat Cummins (C), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Nathan McSweeney, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc (With ANI inputs)
16 November,2024 06:29 PM IST | New Delhi | mid-day online correspondentFormer Australian opener Matthew Hayden said that the national team selectors backed themselves into a corner following their decision to pick a non-specialist opening batsman for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Australia was in search of an opening batsman after Steve Smith was restored in the middle order. Options were available in the form of Sam Konastas, Marcus Harris and Cameron Bancroft, but the selectors decided to hand young Nathan McSweeney his Test debut alongside Usman Khawaja. Nathan McSweeney who usually bats at number three will surround himself with a new environment when he walks into Perth to open the innings with Usman Khawaja. Before speaking about McSweeney's selection, Matthew Hayden opened up about Steve Smith's promotion to the opening slot. After David Warner's retirement, Steve Smith took the opener's responsibility on his shoulders. In his opening stint which did not last for much time, the right-hander accumulated 171 runs with a strike rate of 28.50, making it much more of a forgettable run. Also Read: T20I series win in SA special: Laxman "This is exactly my point and why I disagreed with Steve Smith opening the batting. It wasn't a slight on Steve Smith's career. It was more of a plea and call to action around the [domestic] system itself," Matthew Hayden said, as quoted from The Sydney Morning Herald. With McSweeney entering the fray, at least for the series opener, Hayden was quick to point out the lack of first-class cricket. "Now the Australian selectors have done exactly what I thought was going to happen, and that was back themselves into a corner, knowing that you had T20s and one-dayers right through the early part of 2024 and zero Test match cricket," he noted. During the buildup of the BGT series, India A and Australia A played two unofficial Tests, allowing both sides to look at probable in case of an unwanted situation. In both games, Australia A opener failed to put up a stand big in number. McSweeney was among those players who were asked to take a swing at the opening slot. After hammering an unbeaten 88 in his usual spot, the youngster was promoted to the top of the order in the second unofficial Test. But the decision was up to no avail. He failed to replicate the success he had during the first outing. During his time as an opener, McSweeney could only post 14 and 25 across both innings. "There has been very little first-class cricket and two Australia A games where they chopped and changed the opening batters. There wasn't one [sizeable] opening partnership. "Can you imagine how Marcus Harris is feeling right now? He's carried the drinks forever and been the incumbent opening batsman, and Bancroft is the same. We just didn't allow ourselves the luxury of enough time to select on the basis of weight of runs. It's something which, if you want to quote [my situation], banging down the door was almost an understatement. They were record-breaking years," he said. As questions continue to linger about Australia's new-looking opening pair, Matthew Hayden only hopes that McSweeney delivers in one of the most challenging Test series. "I wouldn't have had it any other way because I became a better player. It's fantastic that Nathan gets his opportunity, and God I hope he bangs down the door at Test match level," Matthew Hayden added. (With ANI Inputs)
16 November,2024 02:44 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentIndia head coach for South Africa tour VVS Laxman has hailed the T20 International series triumph as "a special effort" after his team secured a massive 135-run win in the last match here. India won the four-match T20I series 3-1, with the likes of batters Tilak Varma and Sanju Samson, and bowler Varun Chakravarty making big impact. "Really proud of our guys for the spirit with which they played this entire series. 3-1 win is a special effort, brilliantly led by @surya_14kumar, @IamSanjuSamson and Tilak were unstoppable with the bat and V arun Chakravarty was outstanding with the ball," Laxman posted on his "X" account. "... the entire team the way they played and enjoyed each others success, couldn't be prouder of the boys. Congratulations on a memorable win," the batting great said in a post on X. Taking to X: Really proud of our guys for the spirit with which they played this entire series. 3-1 win is a special effort, brilliantly led by @surya_14kumar , @IamSanjuSamson and Tilak were unstoppable with the bat and Varun Chakravarty was outstanding with the ball, the entire team the… pic.twitter.com/BeVe8zmZ5V — VVS Laxman (@VVSLaxman281) November 16, 2024 Also Read: India captain Suryakumar Yadav names player who delivers in crunch situations Captain Suryakumar also described the series win as a "special" one. "Well done boys, congratulations to all. Everybody knows how difficult is to win series overseas. The last time when we came here, it was 1-1," he said while addressing the team at the dressing room after the series win. "This time, even after we led 2-1 in the series, we decided how to play the last match (aggressively), everybody stepped up. Credit goes to everybody. We won this series as a team." He also thanked the non-playing members of the team, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Jitesh Sharma and Yash Dayal -- for their support. He also thanked the support staff for their valuable inputs. "It's a special win and I am sure everyone must be happy. At the same time we take a lot of learning and will go back and reflect. All the best to all those who are turning up in domestic matches, I am also going (for that)."
16 November,2024 02:34 PM IST | Johannesburg | PTITeam India captain Suryakumar Yadav heaped praises on pacer Arshdeep Singh for delivering performances in crunch situations. Arshdeep Singh who was struggling to bring his A game out in the first two T20Is, found his rhythm in the later two games against South Africa. After Tristan Stubbs smashed him all over Gqeberha during the second T20I, the left-armer returned to his classy act by rattling South Africa's batting order. After India hammered 283/1 in the fourth T20I, Arshdeep left the Proteas shell-shocked with his spell in the powerplay. Also Read: Mike Tyson beaten by Youtuber Jake Paul in heavyweight return Arshdeep Singh single-handedly pulled the sheets in India's favour when he removed Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markram and Heinrich Klaasen in the first six overs. The pacer returned with the figures of three wickets for 20 runs in three overs. "Arshdeep has been an important part of this team. He has delivered in crunch situations every time, and today was no different. We were actually, we came here last time, and it was the same wicket and same conditions," Suryakumar Yadav said in the post-match press conference. The 25-year-old went over the wicket to deliver a peach to dismiss Hendricks. He then lured Markram into mistiming his shot and pinned Klassen in front of the stumps with another inswinging beauty. Notably, there was a striking contrast in the way both sides batted. While India adopted a free-flowing approach, South Africa struggled to get going right from the first delivery. Later, Suryakumar Yadav revealed that the Indian bowlers had a word with the batsmen to find the patch where they found it difficult to play. "It was cold a little bit after the lights got on, and we just went back to basics. All the fast bowlers spoke to the batters. How was the wicket? What were the lengths which were good on the track and we just wear ourself and the way they delivered with the ball in the first six overs. I think the game was almost over at that time," he added. Team India clinched the T20I series against South Africa by 3-1. (With ANI Inputs)
16 November,2024 12:59 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentADVERTISEMENT
