Out-of-favour India pacer Mohammed Shami, who has been in impressive form on the domestic circuit with 36 wickets across formats, has been named in Bengal's squad for the upcoming Vijay Hazare Trophy one-day competition. Shami, who has not played for India for a while and was overlooked for the recent series against South Africa, has enjoyed a strong return to competitive cricket for Bengal following a lengthy injury lay-off. Shami's fitness has been a subject of debate in recent times after the pacer missed out on selection. However, despite the absence of a national call-up, the senior fast bowler has been a standout performer in domestic tournaments. Beginning with the red-ball season, Shami picked up 20 wickets from four Ranji Trophy matches at an average of 18.60, including a 5/38, as Bengal remain unbeaten from five outings after securing three outright wins to sit atop Group C. He carried his form into the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, finishing as Bengal's leading wicket-taker with 16 scalps from seven matches at an average of 14.93. In the Vijay Hazare Trophy, Shami will spearhead Bengal's three-pronged pace attack, which also includes India pacers Akash Deep and Mukesh Kumar. In the squad announced on Friday, top-order batter Abhimanyu Easwaran was named captain. Bengal have been placed in Elite Group B and will begin their campaign against Vidarbha in Rajkot on December 24. The other teams in the group are Assam, Baroda, Jammu and Kashmir, Hyderabad, Chandigarh and Uttar Pradesh. The tournament will be held across Ahmedabad (Group A), Rajkot (Group B), Jaipur (Group C) and Alur (Group D), while Bengaluru's Centre of Excellence will host the knockout stages from January 12-18. Bengal squad: Abhimanyu Easwaran (Captain), Anustup Majumdar, Abishek Porel (WK), Sudip Kr Gharami, Sumanta Gupta, Sumit Nag (WK), Chandrahas Dash, Shahbaz Ahmed, Karan Lal, Mohammed Shami, Akash Deep, Mukesh Kumar, Sayan Ghosh, Ravi Kumar, Aamir Gani, Vishal Bhati, Ankit Mishra. 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.
20 December,2025 04:46 PM IST | Kolkata | PTIThe Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Devajit Saikia on Saturday announced India's squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026. Team India's star batsman, Shubman Gill, who is currently struggling with his form, has been dropped from the squad. Speaking about his omission, Team India's chief selector Ajit Agarkar said that the right-hander is falling short of runs, and the management has opted for different combinations over anything else. "I mean, obviously, Shubman was the vice-captain; he is not in the team, so there will have to be somebody else as vice-captain. And Axar, before that, when Shubman was actually not playing the T20Is and playing Test cricket, when a lot of the T20Is used to clash, Axar was the vice-captain. So, that is about the vice-captain," he said. In Gill's absence, Axar Patel has been named as Suryakumar Yadav's deputy for the marquee tournament. Further speaking, he also said that Jitesh Sharma has done nothing wrong, but the management wants to go ahead with different combinations. "About continuity, I mean, you are looking at combinations at the moment. If your keeper is going to bat at the top, our thought was to have another keeper, just in case there is a problem. At the moment, Jitesh was there, again, has not done too much wrong. I mean, Shubman, we know what a quality player he is, perhaps short of a little bit of runs at the moment. Unfortunate to miss out in the last World Cup as well, because we went with different combinations, but it's the combinations more than anything else," said Agarkar. Along with Gill, opening batsman Yashasvi Jaiswal has also been sidelined, despite having a good record in the format. Swashbuckling batsman Abhishek Sharma has been given a nod ahead of Jaiswal. Ishan Kishan, who was out of favor of the Indian selectors for a long period of time, has made his comeback in the shortest format setup. He has been picked as the second wicketkeeper-batsman option, with Sanju Samson securing the first spot. The defending champions, Team India, will open their global showpiece campaign by playing a match against the United States of America (USA) on February 7 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The "Men in Blue" will lock horns against Namibia on February 12 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. The high-octane match between arch-rivals, India and Pakistan, is scheduled to be played on February 15 at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. India will conclude their group stage matches by playing a clash against the Netherlands on February 18 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. It will be interesting to see if the "Men in Blue" manage to defend their T20 World Cup title. India's squad for T20 World Cup 2026: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (WK), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel (VC), Rinku Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Washington Sundar, Ishan Kishan (WK). (With ANI Inputs)
20 December,2025 04:36 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentAhead of the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026, India has announced their squad on Saturday. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Devajit Saikia made the announcement along with chief selector Ajit Agarkar and captain Suryakumar Yadav. Ishan Kishan, who was out of favor of the Indian selectors for a long period of time, has also made his comeback in the shortest format setup. He has been picked as the second wicketkeeper-batsman option, with Sanju Samson securing the first spot. Speaking about his selection, Kishan said that he is extremely happy about it. Recently, the left-hander also led the Jharkhand team to their maiden Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy title. "I am extremely happy (about the selection in the T20 World Cup squad). Jharkhand team also won the SMAT title, I'm happy, very happy about it," he said. #WATCH | Patna, Bihar | On his comeback to India’s squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, Indian cricketer Ishan Kishan says, "I am very happy..." pic.twitter.com/R2oKsCd9U2 — ANI (@ANI) December 20, 2025 Team India's management has dropped Shubman Gill from the squad. In his absence, star all-rounder Axar Patel has been named as the vice-captain. Along with Gill, opening batsman Yashasvi Jaiswal has also been sidelined, despite having a good record in the format. Swashbuckling batsman Abhishek Sharma has been given a nod ahead of Jaiswal. The defending champions, Team India, will open their global showpiece campaign by playing a match against the United States of America (USA) on February 7 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The "Men in Blue" will lock horns against Namibia on February 12 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. The high-octane match between arch-rivals, India and Pakistan, is scheduled to be played on February 15 at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. India will conclude their group stage matches by playing a clash against the Netherlands on February 18 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. It will be interesting to see if the "Men in Blue" manage to defend their T20 World Cup title. India's squad for T20 World Cup 2026: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (WK), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel (VC), Rinku Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Washington Sundar, Ishan Kishan (WK).
20 December,2025 04:27 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentThe T20 World Cup 2026 is all set to be hosted in India and Sri Lanka. The marquee event is scheduled to kick start from February 7. The defending champions, Team India, will open their global showpiece campaign by playing a match against the United States of America (USA) on February 7 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The "Men in Blue" will lock horns against Namibia on February 12 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. The high-octane match between arch-rivals, India and Pakistan, is scheduled to be played on February 15 at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. India will conclude their group stage matches by playing a clash against the Netherlands on February 18 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Ahead of the tournament, Team India's management has dropped Shubman Gill from the squad. In his absence, star all-rounder Axar Patel has been named as the vice-captain. Along with Gill, opening batsman Yashasvi Jaiswal has also been sidelined, despite tasting success in the format. Swashbuckling batsman Abhishek Sharma has been given a nod ahead of Jaiswal, and Ishan Kishan has made his return to India's set-up. Recently, Kishan led Jharkhand to their maiden Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy title. In the final match against Haryana, the left-hander smashed a century in just 45 deliveries. India's squad for the T20 World Cup 2026 will also play a five-match T20I series against New Zealand. The series will begin from January 21, with the first match scheduled to be played at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur. The marquee tournament will conclude on March 8, with the top two teams clashing against each other for the elusive title. The venue of the final match is yet to be confirmed. It will be interesting to see if the "Men in Blue" manage to defend their T20 World Cup title. India's squad for T20 World Cup 2026: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (WK), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel (VC), Rinku Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Washington Sundar, Ishan Kishan (WK).
20 December,2025 03:10 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentThe Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Devajit Saikia announced the squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026 on Saturday. Saikia made the announcement along with Team India's chief selector Ajit Agarkar and skipper Suryakumar Yadav in Mumbai. In Shubman Gill's absence, Team India's think tank has named Axar Patel as their vice-captain. Additionally, swashbuckling opening batsman Abhishek Sharma has also received the opportunity to make his first appearance in the global showpiece. Over the last few matches, the left-hander has been consistent with his dominating strokes and explosive approach in the format. Also, Ishan Kishan has been picked as the second wicketkeeper-batsman option for the marquee event. Recently, the 27-year-old also led Jharkhand to their maiden Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy title. In the final match against Haryana, Kishan smashed a century in just 45 deliveries. On the other hand, along with Gill, a reliable opening batsman, Yashasvi Jaiswal's name is also missing from the squad. 🚨India’s squad for ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 announced 🚨Let's cheer for the defending champions 💪#TeamIndia | #MenInBlue | #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/7CpjGh60vk — BCCI (@BCCI) December 20, 2025 The same squad will also lock horns against New Zealand for the shortest format series. Both teams will clash against each other in the five-match T20I series, starting from January 21, 2026. The series will also serve as a preparatory contest for the "Men in Blue" and the "Black Caps" ahead of the global showpiece. The T20 World Cup 2026 is all set to be hosted in India and Sri Lanka, from February 7. India will open their campaign against the United States of America on February 7 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The much-awaited clash of the tournament between arch-rivals, India and Pakistan, is scheduled to be played on February 15 at the R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium in Colombo. The marquee tournament will conclude on March 8, with the top two teams clashing against each other for the elusive title. The venue of the final match is yet to be confirmed. It will be interesting to see if the "Men in Blue" manage to defend their T20 World Cup title. India's squad for T20 World Cup 2026: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (WK), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel (VC), Rinku Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Washington Sundar, Ishan Kishan (WK).
20 December,2025 02:53 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentTeam India managed to clinch the three-match ODI and five-match T20I series against South Africa. Under the captaincy of KL Rahul, the "Men in Blue" sealed the ODI series by 2-1, whereas the side sealed the shortest format series by 3-1 under the leadership of Suryakumar Yadav. Despite winning the two formats' series, former Team India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar said that the results in Test cricket define the true health of the country's cricket. Sharing a post on his official social media handle, Manjrekar wrote, "Test cricket may not be the most popular format today but it's results linger. Ind may have won the ODI & T20 series v SA but it's 2-0 defeat in Tests still lingers. Tests results reveal the true health of a nation's cricket, hence addressing that must still remain priority". Test cricket may not be the most popular format today but it’s results linger. Ind may have won the ODI & T20 series v SA but it’s 2-0 defeat in Tests still lingers. Tests results reveal the true health of a nation’s cricket, hence addressing that must still remain priority. — Sanjay Manjrekar (@sanjaymanjrekar) December 20, 2025 Earlier, Team India suffered a 0-2 loss against South Africa. After concluding the South Africa series, the Indians will now clash against New Zealand before heading into the T20 World Cup 2026. The five-match T20I series against the "Black Caps" will serve as a preparatory contest for both teams ahead of the global showpiece. The T20 World Cup 2026 is all set to be hosted in India and Sri Lanka, from February 7. India will open their campaign against the United States of America on February 7 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The much-awaited clash of the tournament between arch-rivals, India and Pakistan, is scheduled to be played on February 15 at the R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium in Colombo. The marquee tournament will conclude on March 8, with the top two teams clashing against each other for the elusive title. The venue of the final match is yet to be confirmed. It will be interesting to see if the "Men in Blue" manage to defend their T20 World Cup title. (With ANI Inputs)
20 December,2025 02:50 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentDuring the fifth T20I match against South Africa, one of Hardik Pandya's sixes hit the cameraman at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Later, Pandya was seen sharing a wholesome moment with him, as he apologised to the cameraman, shared a hug and gave him a bit of ice treatment to lessen the pain. During the match, the ball hit the cameraman so ferociously that Team India's assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate, who was sitting in the dugout, also stood up and took notice. Despite being hit, the cameraman continued with his duty. In a video shared by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Pandya said that he was a lucky man that he did not get hit higher. The cricketer also kept the icebag on the cameraman's arm to make sure that the pain would subside. "God was with me because it did not hit him above that (above his arm) and hit him where he would just feel a bit of bruising. He was a lucky man that he did not go higher. I would say sorry to him and check on him. I have seen around all these 10 years I have been playing for India. I keep saying 'hi' to him. Thankfully, he is fine," the 32-year-old cricketer said in a video posted. Heroes with Heart! 💙Hardik Pandya 🤝 Cameraman 🎥#TeamIndia | #INDvSA | @hardikpandya7 | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/Cn0YLBc6Ee — BCCI (@BCCI) December 20, 2025 Facing just 25 deliveries, Pandya smashed 63 runs, with the help of five boundaries and the same number of maximums. Later, he also bagged one wicket by conceding 41 runs in three overs. He was also named the "Player of the Match" for his blistering performance. The win also helped the "Men in Blue" to clinch the five-match T20I series by 3-1. They will now engage in the five-match T20I series against New Zealand, before heading into the T20 World Cup 2026, which is scheduled to be played in India and Sri Lanka. It will be interesting to see if the "Men in Blue" manage to defend their T20 World Cup title. (With ANI Inputs)
20 December,2025 12:28 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentIn the fifth T20I match against South Africa, Team India emerged victorious by 30 runs at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. During the match, Team India's premier all-rounder Hardik Pandya's performance was the highlight of the game. Facing just 25 deliveries, he smashed 63 runs, with the help of five boundaries and the same number of maximums. Later, he also bagged one wicket by conceding 41 runs in three overs. Speaking about Hardik, the former Team India cricketer Robin Uthappa compared him with legendary West Indies cricketer Sir Vivian Richards. "His energy on the field is exactly like Viv Richards. He comes in with that swagger, and it's a great attitude for youngsters to learn from. That is the energy the opposition feels, a sense of intimidation even before you've played a ball. It's a phenomenal attitude to carry," Uthappa said on Cricket Live. Former South African pacer Dale Steyn also heaped praise on Pandya by saying he walks out in the match like a superhero and showcases pure dominance. "Hardik was fantastic--he's transcended sportsman into celebrity territory, walking out like a superhero in a scripted movie plot where nobody alters his plan. It's not a bad attitude; it's pure dominance, an aura where nobody else can match what he does. You see it in his stance and presence--he is operating at another level mentally, unbreakable in a game that is all about mental battles. All these players are skilled, but he's elevated beyond," said the former pacer. The 32-year-old cricketer also became the fifth Team India batsman to complete 2000 runs in T20I cricket. He has now joined the elite list of players such as Rohit Sharma (4231 runs), Virat Kohli (4188 runs), Suryakumar Yadav (2788 runs) and KL Rahul (2265 runs), who have achieved the feat. His half-century was also the second-fastest for India in the format's history. Pandya took just 16 balls to accomplish the feat. The "Men in Blue" will now engage in the five-match T20I series against New Zealand, before heading into the T20 World Cup 2026, which is scheduled to be played in India and Sri Lanka. (With ANI Inputs)
20 December,2025 12:27 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentSri Lanka on Friday named Dasun Shanaka as skipper of its preliminary 25-member squad for the T20 World Cup as the co-hosts sacked Charith Asalanka as the leader of side. Pramodaya Wickramasingha, who is back as the chairman of selectors, said Asalanka’s poor batting form and Shanaka’s experience in playing three previous World Cups were factors in the decision. 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
20 December,2025 09:15 AM IST | Colombo | PTIProminent India players such as Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Suryakumar Yadav will not compete in at least the first two matches of the Vijay Hazare Trophy as the selectors are keen to blood youngsters in the Mumbai side. Ajinkya Rahane and Shivam Dube will also miss the initial games. “Rohit, Jaiswal, Dube and even Rahane will not be a part of the Mumbai squad for at least first two matches as the selection panel is going ahead with a young squad,” Mumbai chief selector Sanjay Patil told PTI. “Yashasvi is undergoing treatment for a stomach issue and he should be alright soon. We thought that the youngsters should be given a chance. But whenever they will be available, they will be accommodated,” he said. “But for the first two matches we are experimenting with youngsters,” Patil 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
20 December,2025 09:13 AM IST | Mumbai | PTIAfter England skipper Ben Stokes didn’t bowl on Day Three of the third Test of the Ashes series at the Adelaide Oval, assistant coach Jeetan Patel said that the all-rounder is “pretty knackered” and believed that he is “fit to bowl.” Stokes batted for over five hours to score 83 in England’s first innings. “He might be a bit tired and just needs a bit of time to himself right now. He’s pretty fit to bowl. He’s just pretty knackered, and he’s taken a lot out of himself to get through to this point in the game,” Patel told reporters. 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
20 December,2025 09:09 AM IST | Adelaide | IANSADVERTISEMENT
