Mumbai Ranji Trophy all-rounder Vinayak Bhoir, who was purchased by Bollywood star Salman Khan’s Delhi Superheros for R3 lakh during the ISPL Season-3 auction recently, believes tennis-ball cricket is the perfect Plan B as a career option. “Tennis-ball cricket is tough, but it’s a good opportunity to look at as a career prospect. I’m also looking at it as a Plan B. The auction amount of R3 lakh [base price] notwithstanding, it’s important to get this opportunity, this platform, which is ISPL,” Bhoir, 37, who was part of the Shreyas Iyer-led Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy-winning (SMAT) Mumbai team last season, told mid-day. Bhoir, a left-arm spinner and middle-order batter, made his Ranji debut under Aditya Tare in 2019-20, before which he represented the Suryakumar Yadav-led Mumbai U-22 team that won the CK Nayudu Trophy in 2010. “I’ve played the Ranji Trophy, Vijay Hazare Trophy and was part of Mumbai’s SMAT-winning team last season, but was still not even considered among the probables thereafter. So, I have to look for other opportunities,” added Bhoir, who plays club cricket for Islam Gymkhana and inter-office cricket for Western Railway and represented SOBO Mumbai Falcons in the Mumbai T20 League last season.
13 December,2025 10:40 AM IST | Mumbai | Subodh MayureAbhishek Sharma can’t win every game for India, said Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav while accepting that he and deputy Shubman Gill should have taken the onus of batting deeper during the team’s 51-run defeat to South Africa in the second T20I here on Thursday. Abhishek (17 off 8 balls) started well, but Gill (0) and skipper Suryakumar (5) were dismissed within the Powerplay as India folded for 162 in pursuit of 214 on a good batting track. “I think myself, Shubman, we could have given a good start because we can’t rely on Abhishek all the time. The way he’s been batting, he might have an off-day. Me, Shubman and few other batters should have taken it,” Suryakumar said. “Shubman got out on the first ball. But I should have taken that responsibility, batted a little deeper,” the skipper added. 119No of runs scored by Suryakumar in last 11 T20I innings @ 13.22 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
13 December,2025 10:24 AM IST | Mullanpur | PTIShubman Gill has been a “bit too tight” since his T20 comeback as he has been trying to “justify” his place in the side, but the Indian team management wants him to free up and play like he does in the IPL, assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate has said. Gill was brought back into the T20 setup with the Asia Cup in September after he led India to two famous Test wins in the drawn five-match series in England. He replaced Sanju Samson at the top, but runs have not flown from his bat, raising questions ahead of the T20 World Cup at home in February-March. Ten Doeschate said Gill needed to loosen up a bit in the shortest format. “Taking on the captaincy the way he did in England and how well he led and how much pride he took in that performance, I think an element of that carried over into what he wanted to do in the T20 side,” said the assistant coach. “So if anything, he was too caring and maybe a little bit too tight. “We don’t want him to do that. We want him to play as freely as he does during IPL seasons. We believe in his class and we believe he will come good, and exactly the same with Surya [Suryakumar Yadav],” he added. 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
13 December,2025 10:22 AM IST | Mullanpur | PTIVaibhav Sooryavanshi was at his imperious best while smashing a 171 off 95 balls, powering India to a mammoth 234-run win over hosts UAE in the inaugural match of the U-19 Asia Cup here on Friday. The 14-year-old from Samastipur, Bihar, unleashed a stunning display of batting, hitting 14 sixes — the most by any batter in a single innings in the U-19 level. Half-centuries from Vihaan Malhotra (69) and Aaron George (69) further bolstered India’s charge as they piled up 433-6 in 50 overs. The total is India’s highest-ever in U-19 ODIs and is the highest in the U-19 Asia Cup’s history. In reply, UAE could only manage 199-7 despite fifties from Prithvi Madhu (50) and Uddish Suri (78 not out). 56No of balls taken by Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to reach his century 180.00Sooryavanshi’s strike rate during his 171 vs UAE in Dubai 433-6This is India’s highest total in U-19 ODIs and the highest in U-19 Asia Cup history 171No of runs scored by Sooryavanshi is the highest by an Indian in U-19 Asia Cup and 2nd highest by an Indian in youth ODIs, behind Ambati Rayudu’s 177* Brief scoresIndia U-19 433-6 in 50 overs (V Sooryavanshi 171, V Malhotra 69, A George 69; Y Sharma 2-75, U Suri 2-77) beat UAE U-19 199-7 in 50 overs (U Suri 78*, P Madhu 50; D Devendran 2-21) by 234 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
13 December,2025 10:18 AM IST | Dubai | PTIThe presence of a clutch of India stars failed to inspire Mumbai as they went down to Hyderabad by nine wickets respectively in their Super League matches of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy here on Friday. Mumbai had Yashasvi Jaiswal (29), Sarfaraz Khan (5), Ajinkya Rahane (9) and Shardul Thakur (0) but folded for 131 as India pacer Mohammad Siraj took 3-17 in 3.5 overs for Hyderabad. Tanay Thyagarajan took two wickets. In reply, Aman Rao (52 not out, 29b) and Tanmay Agarwal (75, 40b), helped Hyderabad chase down the target in just 11.5 overs. 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
13 December,2025 10:15 AM IST | Ambi | PTIGill’s last 10 T20I innings as opener 0 vs South Africa at Mullanpur, Dec 11, 2025 4 vs South Africa at Cuttack, Dec 9, 2025 29* vs Australia at Brisbane, Nov 8, 2025 46 vs Australia at Carrara, Nov 6, 2025 15 vs Australia at Hobart, Nov 2, 2025 5 vs Australia at Melbourne, Oct 31, 2025 37* vs Australia at Canberra, Oct 29, 2025 12 vs Pakistan at Dubai, Sept 28, 2025 4 vs Sri Lanka at Dubai, Sept 26, 2025 29 vs Bangladesh at Dubai, Sept 24, 2025 22.62Shubman Gill’s average in his last 10 T20I matches as opener 181No of runs scored by Gill in his last 10 T20I games as opener ZeroNo of 50-plus scores by Gill in his last 10 T20Is as opener Samson’s last 10 T20I innings as opener 16 vs England at Mumbai, Feb 2, 2025 1 vs England at Pune, Jan 31, 2025 3 vs England at Rajkot, Jan 28, 2025 5 vs England at Chennai, Jan 25, 2025 26 vs England at Kolkata, Jan 22, 2025 109* vs South Africa at Johannesburg, Nov 15, 2024 0 vs South Africa at Centurion, Nov 13, 2024 0 vs South Africa at Gqeberha, Nov 10, 2024 107 vs South Africa at Durban, Nov 8, 2024 111 vs Bangladesh at Hyderabad, Oct 12, 2024 42.00Sanju Samson’s average in his last 10 T20I matches as opener 378No of runs scored by Samson in his last 10 T20I games as opener ThreeNo of centuries by Samson in his last 10 T20Is as opener
13 December,2025 09:32 AM IST | Mumbai | A CorrespondentIn the second T20I match against South Africa, Team India's Shubman Gill departed on a first-ball duck. Following the dismissal, former Team India cricketer Irfan Pathan said that Gill's poor patch in the format is putting pressure on himself and the team management. "Shubman Gill will say he got a very good ball and looked stuck at the crease. For captain Suryakumar Yadav, I felt he needs to focus on his offside play. He was completely out of position when he got out...if Gill was in form, he would have played that ball easily. He is not in form," he said on JioHotstar. "The runs not coming from Gill's bat is a bad sign and increases the pressure on him and the team management. They will be asking what to do. This situation should not get worse," added Pathan. Further speaking, the former cricketer said that if the management brings in Sanju Samson, he will be expected to score big runs. "If the runs still don't come, you can't just bring Sanju Samson back and expect him to perform, if he is also rusty. There are many questions. If they go back to Samson, it becomes very important for him to score runs," said the 41-year-old former cricketer. Jaiswal, Ruturaj and Patidar left out despite Gill’s poor run in T20 Despite Shubman Gill’s prolonged dip in form in white-ball cricket, several in-form players continue to be overlooked for opportunities in the national squad. Ruturaj Gaikwad, who recently struck a century in the second ODI against South Africa, has made a strong case for his inclusion. Rajat Patidar, who did have an injury scare last week too, made his comeback for his state side and has been in exceptional touch, delivering consistent performances for Madhya Pradesh in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Apart from Ruturaj and Patidar, the one player that seems to be extremely unlucky is Yashaswi Jaiswal. With great performances in the IPL and for the national side in the recently concluded ODI series against South Africa, Jaiswal is still forced to wait for his chance even though the current Indian T20 vice-captain fails to impress. Irfan Pathan's views on Suryakumar Yadav's rough patch in T20 Internationals He also spoke about skipper Suryakumar Yadav's form in the shortest format of the game. He said that the Indian skipper needs to bring back his form before the T20 World Cup 2026 and come to bat at right position. "Surya will be under pressure because he's the captain and as a captain, your slot in the playing 11 is secured automatically. As a player, if you haven't scored runs in a year, you are under pressure. His form has to come back before the World Cup (in February-March next year). He needs the right batting position and better shot selection. Surya has shown a pattern of playing straight balls to the leg side and getting out," said Irfan, who has scored 172 T20I runs for Team India. He concluded by saying the 35-year-old cricketer has the ability to bring the ball in front of his eyes and make the most use of the pace. "When you're not scoring, you should try to play in the off-side and in front. He has the skill to bring the ball in front of his eyes and use the pace, that's how he will start scoring again," he signed off. (With PTI Inputs)
12 December,2025 06:54 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentThe Men's Under-19 Asia Cup 2025 began with a stunning display of power hitting as Team India's swashbuckling opening batsman, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, showcased a glorious knock at the ICC Academy Ground. The 14-year-old faced just 95 deliveries and smashed 171 runs, which were laced with nine boundaries and 14 maximums. The teen sensation, who has been in scintillating form, played with caution before shifting gears into destructive mode. He raced to his half-century in just 30 deliveries. The left-handed batsman scripted history by breaking the record for the most sixes hit by a batter in a single innings of the U-19 Asia Cup. The record was previously held by Afghanistan's Darwish Rasooli (10 sixes in 2017). The highlight of the innings was Suryavanshi's boundary hitting. His 171-run knock is now officially the second-highest score by an Indian in a Youth ODI, falling just short of Ambati Rayudu's 177 not out against England U-19 in 2002. Having put to bat first, Team India posted a gigantic total of 433 runs for the loss of six wickets in Dubai. Opening the innings along with Suryavanshi, captain Ayush Mhatre scored just four runs in 11 balls, which included a boundary. Aaron Varghese accumulated 69 runs off 73 balls, including seven boundaries and a maximum. Vihan Malhotra also garnered 69 runs in 55 balls, with the help of seven boundaries and a maximum. Vedant Trivedi registered a score of 38 runs in 34 balls, including three boundaries. Later, Kanish Chouhan returned to the pavilion after scoring 28 runs in 12 balls. He also smashed a boundary and three maximums. Abhigyan Abhishek Kundu and Khilan Patel stayed unbeaten on the scores of 32 and five runs, respectively. Facing 17 balls, Abhigyan smashed three boundaries and a maximum, whereas Khilan faced just four balls. UAE bowlers' performances UAE's Yug Sharma and Uddish Suri claimed two wickets each. Completing their quotas of 10 overs each, Yug conceded 75 runs, while Uddish was smashed for 77 runs. Shalom D'souza and skipper Yayim Kiran Rai also registered one wicket each to their names. Bowling 10 overs, Shalom gave away 79 runs, while Yayin leaked 37 runs in three overs. Ali Asgar Shums, Noor Ayobi, and Ahmed Khudada went wicketless in the Men's U-19 Asia Cup match against India. (With ANI Inputs)
12 December,2025 04:50 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentAhead of the third Test match of the Ashes series, former cricketer David Warner has backed his former opening partner, Usman Khawaja, to take over the top spot. He also feels Travis Head coming to bat at number five is the setup that will most likely trouble England, according to ESPNcricinfo. "I think Uzzy (Usman Khawaja) comes back in, slides to the top, and Trav (Travis Head) goes down. That's probably a worse result for England, Travis Head going back down the order," Warner told reporters, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo. "At the end of the day, Travis put his hand up to bat in the situation he was in. He came out and batted in the way Travis Head does. You see plenty of interviews from Trav saying that is Uzzy's spot, and if when the time comes, they ask him to go up the order, he wouldn't mind doing that," he added. Further speaking, Warner feels that Australia did not have a aggressing batsman in the middle order, and if Khawaja retires, the selectors may look at Head to claim the top spot. "We didn't have that aggressor down in the middle order [in previous years]. Australia has that now as well, and moving forward with whatever Uzzy decides to do, if he hangs them up, they can look that way. But then it's on all of us to understand that potentially might not work and Travis will have to go back down the order. And then they are going to have to look for another replacement. The selectors have a headache," said the 39-year-old cricketer. Australia's opening pair concerns since David Warner's retirement Since Warner's retirement, the Aussies have struggled to find the right man to open the innings along with Khawaja. Before Khawaja was benched, the left-hander had already batted with five different opening batsmen in 15 Test matches. Currently, the Aussies are leading the five-match Ashes Test series by 2-0 against the "Three Lions". The hosts will look to secure a win in order to clinch the series, whereas the Englishmen will play for pride with an aim to keep the series alive. (With ANI Inputs)
12 December,2025 01:58 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentIn the second T20I match against Team India, South Africa emerged victorious by 51 runs at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh PCA Stadium in Punjab. During the match, South Africa's veteran opening batsman, Quinton de Kock, showcased an explosive batting approach. Facing just 46 deliveries, the left-hander smashed 90 runs, which was laced with five boundaries and seven maximums. Against the "Men in Blue", de Kock has garnered 1914 runs in 43 matches with an average of 40.72. He also has eight centuries with a top score of 135 runs. Speaking about his knock, Johannesburg-born cricketer said that he tries to make it count, once he gets the elevated start. "It is just happening, low and high scores. When I do get going, I try and make it count. I think it is because we play each other so many times, and on good wickets. Arshdeep's (Singh) got me out plenty of times. It was just a technical thing to be aware of, and then play naturally," he said. Quinton de Kock's statistics against Team India in T20 Internationals In the shortest format of the game, de Kock has accumulated 441 runs in 12 innings with an average of 44.10. His career best score against the "Men in Blue" is 90 runs with a strike rate of 146.51 and five half-centuries. Further speaking about the pitch, he said that it was just a matter of holding on to it along with Aiden Markram. "It was just a matter of me and skipper Aiden Markram holding on and then building a stand. When India batted, it went the other way - two paced with more pace. That was the difference," said the 32-year-old cricketer. He was also named the "Player of the Match" award for his explosive innings. Currently, the five-match T20I series is tied at 1-1. Both teams will look to take an edge in the contest, which serves as a preparatory series for the T20 World Cup 2026. The third T20I match between Team India and South Africa is scheduled to be played on December 14 at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamshala. (With ANI Inputs)
12 December,2025 01:12 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentAfghanistan's all-rounder Gulbadin Naib heaped praise on Team India stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma by saying that the duo should play in all three formats of the game for at least four years. His comments came after Kohli attained the second ranking in the latest ICC Men's ODI rankings, while Rohit continued to enjoy the top spot. The duo announced their retirements from the shortest format after Team India's T20 World Cup 2024 triumph and Test Cricket earlier this year. Speaking about them, the all-rounder said that they are big players. "Both of them are very big players [Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli]. I can only say one thing. I won't talk much about it. They should play in all three formats for at least four years," said Naib. Both Rohit and Virat had successful outings in the recent three-match ODI series against South Africa. Kohli slammed two consecutive centuries and registered a half-century in the third game. On the other hand, Rohit continued to showcase his elegant strokes at the top. Kohli was adjudged "Player of the Series" for his 302 runs across the three matches, and Rohit amassed 146 runs across the Proteas series to hold on to his spot at the top of the rankings. The Nagpur-born cricketer also became the fourth Indian cricketer to complete 20,000 runs in International cricket. The other three cricketers are Sachin Tendulkar (34,257 runs), Kohli (27,910 runs) and Rahul Dravid (24,064 runs) in the all-time international charts. IND vs SA T20Is: Latest scenario of the ongoing series Currently, the "Men in Blue" under the leadership of Suryakumar Yadav are busy engaging in the five-match T20I series against the Proteas. The series is tied at 1-1, with both teams looking to take an edge in the contest, which serves as a preparatory series for the T20 World Cup 2026. The third T20I match between Team India and South Africa is scheduled to be played on December 14 at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamshala. The sale of T20 World Cup 2026 ticket prices has begun as low as Rs 100 or LKR 1000 (in Sri Lanka) in phase 1 for some venues. The marquee event will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, which will kick off from February 7. (With ANI Inputs)
12 December,2025 01:10 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentADVERTISEMENT
