Ishan Kishan.
| Photo Credit: B. Jothi Ramalingam

File photo of Rishabh Pant.© BCCI

Mumbai all-rounder Musheer Khan, younger brother of India batter Sarfaraz, is “stable” after suffering a road accident on the outskirts of Lucknow but is set to miss cricketing action for a prolonged period starting with the upcoming Irani Cup. The 19-year-old is expected to be out of action for at least three months due to neck injuries he sustained in the accident, effectively ruling him out of Mumbai’s matches at the start of the Ranji Trophy 2024-25 season, starting from October 11.

It is learnt that Musheer was en route to Lucknow from Azamgarh, his hometown, for the Irani Cup beginning on October 1. He was accompanied by his father Naushad Khan, who also suffered minor scratches in the accident that took place on the Purvanchal Expressway after his car hit a divider and overturned.

Dr. Bhola Singh, Medical Superintendent at Medanta Hospital, Lucknow, said in a statement that the cricketer is out of danger.

“Cricketer Musheer Khan, injured in a road accident on the Purvanchal Expressway, was brought to the emergency department of Medanta Hospital due to pain in his neck. His treatment is being conducted under the supervision of Dr. Dharmendra Singh, Director of the Department of Orthopedics.

“His condition is stable and he is out of danger,” Dr. Singh said in the statement.

The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) said Musheer is currently “stable, conscious, and well-oriented”.

“He has sustained a fracture in the neck region and is under close observation. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) medical teams are closely monitoring his progress to ensure he receives the best possible care,” the MCA said.

“Once Musheer is deemed medically fit for travel, he will be flown to Mumbai for further evaluation and additional medical treatment. The timeline for his recovery will be determined following these assessments.” The development comes as a blow for the teenager who has already scored three centuries and a half-century in nine First-Class games. He had a double hundred in last season’s Ranji Trophy quarter-final, a half-century in the semi-final and a match-winning century in the final against Vidarbha.

He had also begun the 2024-25 domestic season with a hundred in the Duleep Trophy for India B against India A in Bengaluru recently.

Reigning Ranji Trophy champions Mumbai are slated to take on Rest of India in the Irani Cup match at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium here from October 1-5.

After the Irani game, Mumbai will begin their Ranji campaign on October 11 against Baroda. 

India A’s Shashwat Rawat. File.
| Photo Credit: B. Jothi Ramalingam

Under a blue sky, in front of an excellent crowd, India-A and India-C produced an engrossing day of cricket.

The runs may have been hard to come by — at under three an over for much of the time — but those among the spectators who view the game as something more than the big hits must have enjoyed the opening day of the Duleep Trophy match. They would have particularly appreciated an exceptional knock under pressure by a young left-hander.

Shashwat Rawat displayed technique, timing, grit and skills, as he rescued his side from a disastrous collapse up front. The 23-year-old’s sixth First Class hundred (122 batting, 235b, 15×4) helped India-A reach 224 for seven at stumps after being put into bat by India-C at the Rural Development Trust Stadium on Thursday.

Superb bowling with the new ball from the seaming trio of Anshul Kamboj, Gaurav Yadav and Vyshak Vijaykumar had reduced India-A to 36 for five. They exploited the freshness of the wicket and bowled at probing line and length.

Kamboj, who had taken eight for 69 against India-B in the last match, got good bounce. He struck twice in successive overs to get rid of the openers Pratham Singh and Mayank Agarwal; the former gave a catch towards square-leg, the latter an inside edge behind the stumps.

India-A was also being stifled by the miserly Gaurav, whose figures at one stage read 8-5-5-0. Tilak Varma was looking good against a relentless attack on a responsive track, but he was run out.

Rawat also watched Kumar Kushagra falling to a ball that moved away from Vyshak.

He was joined by Shams Mulani, who loves a crisis. The Mumbai all-rounder made a fine 44 (76b, 5×4, 1×6) and put on 87 for the sixth wicket. After he was brilliantly caught at gully off Gaurav, Rawat took over the responsibility.

He found an able ally in Avesh Khan and their unbroken eighth wicket is so far worth 70. The spectators might be tempted to return for the second day’s play to watch more of Rawat, especially his straight and off drives.

The scores:

India-A: Pratham Singh c Sai Sudharsan b Kamboj 6, Mayank Agarwal c Kishan b Kamboj 6, Tilak Varma run out 5, Riyan Parag c Sai Sudharsan b Vyshak 2, Shashwat Rawat (batting) 122, Kumar Kushagra c Kishan b Vyshak 0, Shams Mulani c Patidar b Gaurav 44, Tanush Kotian c Indrajith b Kamboj 10, Avesh Khan (batting) 16; Extras (b-4, lb-5, nb-2, w-2) 13; Total (for seven wkts. in 77 overs): 224.

Fall of wickets: 1-11, 2-14, 3-17, 4-35, 5-36, 6-123, 7-154.

India-C bowling: Kamboj 14-2-40-3, Gaurav 17-7-46-1, Vyshak 15-1-33-2, Narang 21-0-58-0, Suthar 10-1-38-0.

Toss: India-C.

The under-pressure Shreyas Iyer‘s dismal run continued but strong performances from the other frontline batters, including Sanju Samson, guided India D to 306 for five on the opening day of their Duleep Trophy match against India B in Anantapur on Thursday. Iyer, aiming to make a comeback to India’s Test squad, fell for a second successive duck in the ongoing tournament. However, Devdutt Padikkal (50), Srikar Bharat (52), RickyBhui (56) and Samson (89 not out) smashed half-centuries as India D batters produced a solid show.

At stumps, Samson and Saransh Jain (26) were at the crease. For India B, leg-spinner Rahul Chahar (3/60) was the standout bowler, claiming three wickets. Mukesh Kumar (1/37) and Navdeep Saini (1/51) picked up a wicket each after India B won the toss and elected to field first at the Rural Development Trust Stadium.

Opening the innings, Padikkal and Bharat put together a solid 105-run partnership. However, Saini provided the breakthrough by removing Padikkal, followed by Mukesh dismissing Bharat, with both catches being taken by wicketkeeper Narayan Jagadeesan.

After their departure, Nishant Sindhu managed just 19 before getting out, and skipper Iyer’s dismissal by Chahar left India D at 175 for four, halting their momentum.

Bhui then took charge, adding 41 runs with Samson to take the team past 200. But Chahar struck again, removing Bhui as India D were reduced to 216 for five.

But Samson kept going, blasting 10 fours and three sixes during his 83-ball innings to keep India D on track.

Samson added an unbeaten 90 runs with Jain.

It was another disappointing outing for Iyer, who walked in with India D well-placed at 172/3 but failed to capitalise on the opportunity.

Iyer has so far managed just 104 runs in five innings (9, 54, 0, 41, 0), averaging a modest 20.80 in the tournament.

Having been left out of the squad for the first Test against Bangladesh, Iyer’s chances of being considered for the upcoming series in Australia, or the home series against New Zealand appear slim.

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.

Rawat’s rearguard hundred rescues India A

Shashwat Rawat led India A’s dramatic recovery with an unbeaten 122 to steer them to 224 for seven on day one of the Duleep Trophy tie against India C here on Thursday.

The left-handed batter, who plays for Baroda in domestic cricket, got support only from Shams Mulani (44 off 76) after India A were reduced to 36 for five in the 20th over.

Last match’s centurion Pratham Singh, captain Mayank Agarwal, Tilak Varma and Riyan Parag all fell in single digits. Pacer Anshul Kamboj, who took eight wickets in an innings last week, was again the standout bowler for India C.

It was a knock to remember for Rawat who collected 15 fours in his unbeaten 235-ball effort. The elegant southpaw played an array of delightful shots through his epic innings including straight drives, cover drives and even reverse sweeps off the spinners.

He shared a much-needed 87-run stand with bowling all-rounder Mulani who once again came to the team’s rescue with the bat following a match-winning effort in the previous game.

India C, who lead the Duleep Trophy standings with nine points, will be aiming to bowl out India A at the earliest on day two.

India A skipper Agarwal has not had a tournament to remember and his lean run was extended on Thursday. The same goes for Riyan Parag who has not been able to spend time in the middle despite promising a lot.

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

The likes of Shreyas Iyer, Sanju Samson, Riyan Parag and Rinku Singh will get another opportunity to enhance their red-ball credentials when the final round of Duleep Trophy matches begin in Anantapur on Thursday. No knockout games are scheduled for the season opening event and the team with maximum points will lift the trophy. With nine points from two games, India C sit at the top of the points table, followed by India B (7), India A (6) and India D (0).

Table leaders India C, captained by Ruturaj Gaikwad, will take on Mayank Agarwal led India A, while Abhimanyu Easwaran led India B will face India D, whose captain is under-pressure Iyer.

After being ignored for the Bangladesh series, Iyer had a point to prove but he has not been able to lead from the front thus far in the competition. With his team yet to earn a point in the tournament, he will be fired up to put an inspiring performance.

The performance of India D batter Samson and pacer Arshdeep Singh will also be tracked by the selectors. In the India B camp, Rinku will be aiming to get big runs after low returns in the previous game.

In the India A versus India C contest, the selectors will be expecting more runs from Agarwal, Parag and Sai Sudharsan. Parag has batted confidently thus far but needs to stay longer in the middle.

Pacer Prasidh Krishna, making a comeback from injury in the previous round, would be looking to log in a significant number of overs while Shams Mulani will be fancying another match-winning effort in the prevailing conditions. Ishan Kishan, who made a memorable return to red ball cricket by scoring a hundred for India C, will need another epic knock to garner more attention from the selectors.

India A squad: Mayank Agarwal (C), Riyan Parag, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Tanush Kotian, Prasidh Krishna, Khaleel Ahmed, Avesh Khan, Kumar Kushagra, Shaswat Rawat, Pratham Singh, Akshay Wadkar, SK Rasheed, Shams Mulani, Aaqib Khan.

India B squad: Abhimanyu Easwaran (C), Musheer Khan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Navdeep Saini, Mukesh Kumar, Rahul Chahar, R Sai Kishore, Mohit Awasthi, N Jagadeesan (WK), Suyash Prabhudessai, Rinku Singh, Himanshu Mantri (WK).

India C squad: Ruturaj Gaikwad (C), Sai Sudharsan, Rajat Patidar, Abishek Porel (WK), Ishan Kishan, B Indrajith, Hrithik Shokeen, Manav Suthar, Gaurav Yadav, Vyshak Vijaykumar, Anshul Khamboj, Himanshu Chauhan, Mayank Markande, Aryan Juyal (WK), Sandeep Warrier.

India D squad: Shreyas lyer (C), Atharva Taide, Yash Dubey, Devdutt Padikkal, Ricky Bhui, Saransh Jain, Arshdeep Singh, Aditya Thakare, Harshit Rana, Akash Sengupta, KS Bharat (WK), Saurabh Kumar, Sanju Samson (WK), Nishant Sindhu, Vidwath Kaverappa. 

India D’s Sanju Samson plays in action agaisnt India A during the Duleep Trophy cricket 2nd Match between India A vs India D at the Rural Development Trust Stadium A ground, Anantapur in Andhra Pradesh
| Photo Credit: Jothi Ramalingam B

The likes of Shreyas Iyer, Sanju Samson, Riyan Parag, and Rinku Singh will get another opportunity to enhance their red-ball credentials when the final round of Duleep Trophy matches begins on Thursday, September 19, 2024.

No knockout games are scheduled for the season opening event and the team with maximum points will lift the trophy. With nine points from two games, India C sit at the top of the points table, followed by India B (7), India A (6) and India D (0).

Table leaders India C, captained by Ruturaj Gaikwad, will take on Mayank Agarwal led India A, while Abhimanyu Easwaran led India B will face India D, whose captain is under-pressure Iyer.

After being ignored for the Bangladesh series, Iyer had a point to prove but he has not been able to lead from the front thus far in the competition. With his team yet to earn a point in the tournament, he will be fired up to put an inspiring performance.

The performance of India D batter Samson and pacer Arshdeep Singh will also be tracked by the selectors. In the India B camp, Rinku will be aiming to get big runs after low returns in the previous game.

In the India A versus India C contest, the selectors will be expecting more runs from Agarwal, Parag and Sai Sudharsan. Parag has batted confidently thus far but needs to stay longer in the middle.

Pacer Prasidh Krishna, making a comeback from injury in the previous round, would be looking to log in a significant number of overs while Shams Mulani will be fancying another match-winning effort in the prevailing conditions.

Ishan Kishan, who made a memorable return to red ball cricket by scoring a hundred for India C, will need another epic knock to garner more attention from the selectors.

Squads:

India A squad: Mayank Agarwal (C), Riyan Parag, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Tanush Kotian, Prasidh Krishna, Khaleel Ahmed, Avesh Khan, Kumar Kushagra, Shaswat Rawat, Pratham Singh, Akshay Wadkar, SK Rasheed, Shams Mulani, Aaqib Khan.

India B squad: Abhimanyu Easwaran (C), Musheer Khan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Navdeep Saini, Mukesh Kumar, Rahul Chahar, R Sai Kishore, Mohit Awasthi, N Jagadeesan (WK), Suyash Prabhudessai, Rinku Singh, Himanshu Mantri (WK).

India C squad: Ruturaj Gaikwad (C), Sai Sudharsan, Rajat Patidar, Abishek Porel (WK), Ishan Kishan, B Indrajith, Hrithik Shokeen, Manav Suthar, Gaurav Yadav, Vyshak Vijaykumar, Anshul Khamboj, Himanshu Chauhan, Mayank Markande, Aryan Juyal (WK), Sandeep Warrier.

India D squad: Shreyas lyer (C), Atharva Taide, Yash Dubey, Devdutt Padikkal, Ricky Bhui, Saransh Jain, Arshdeep Singh, Aditya Thakare, Harshit Rana, Akash Sengupta, KS Bharat (WK), Saurabh Kumar, Sanju Samson (WK), Nishant Sindhu, Vidwath Kaverappa.

Ishan Kishan shared his pics on Instagram© instagram

India B’s players celebrates their teammate Anshul Kamboj to get an eight-wicket haul in the Duleep Trophy cricket 2nd Match between India B vs India C at the Rural Development Trust Stadium B ground, Anantapur in Andhra Pradesh on September 15, 2024
| Photo Credit: B. Jothi Ramalingam

Medium-pacer Anshul Kamboj finished with figures of eight for 69 as India-C bowled out India-B for 332 and secured a 193-run first-innings lead on the final day of the Duleep Trophy second round at the Rural Development Trust Stadium B-ground here on Sunday.

India-B skipper and opener Abhimanyu Easwaran carried his bat with a knock of 157 (286b, 14×4, 1×6).

After Kamboj had Rahul Chahar bowled in the first over of the day, Abhimanyu brought up his 150 with back-to-back fours off pacer Vijaykumar Vyshak in the second over. He cut to the sweeper boundary, before inside-edging past the keeper.

Kamboj went on to rattle the stumps for Navdeep Saini, and have Mukesh Kumar caught by Sai Sudharsan at short leg.

India-B was awarded five penalty runs for time wasting by the fielding side (law 41.9.3).

Surprise decision

Surprisingly, India-C skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad didn’t choose to enforce the follow-on. Batting again, Ruturaj hit a 93-ball 62 (8×4, 1×6), before he was trapped in front by leg-spinner Chahar.

After Sai Sudharsan fell early, missing a drive to have his off-stump uprooted by pacer Mukesh, Ruturaj and Rajat Patidar (42, 84b, 5×4) added 96 for the second wicket.

At one point, there were four boundaries in 10 balls. Patidar essayed the cover drive once and the square drive twice for three fours in a Saini over, while Ruturaj cut left-arm spinner Sai Kishore for a four behind square.

Ruturaj also flicked aerially off Saini and pulled a short ball from Nitish Kumar Reddy for a four and a six to deep midwicket.

Musheer gets Patidar

Musheer Khan, who rehearsed bowling in the nets at lunch, bowled in the second session and dismissed Patidar leg-before.

It is understood that India-C’s Sandeep Warrier, who walked off injured on Friday, has a hamstring injury and will be out for two to three weeks.

The scores:

India-C — 1st innings: 525.

India-B — 1st innings: Abhimanyu Easwaran (not out) 157, N. Jagadeesan c Porel b Kamboj 70, Musheer Khan lbw b Kamboj 1, Sarfaraz Khan lbw b Kamboj 16, Rinku Singh c Ishan b Kamboj 6, Nitish Kumar Reddy b Kamboj 2, Washington Sundar c Sai Sudharsan b Vyshak 13, Sai Kishore lbw b Markande 21, Rahul Chahar b Kamboj 18, Navdeep Saini b Kamboj 0, Mukesh Kumar c Sai Sudharsan b Kamboj 4; Extras (b-9, lb-5, w-1, nb-4, p-5): 24.

Total (in 108 overs): 332.

Fall of wickets: 1-129, 2-133, 3-175, 4-190, 5-194, 6-237, 7-283, 8-309, 9-321.

India-C bowling: Warrier 1.1-0-8-0, Vyshak 26-5-82-1, Kamboj 27.5-8-69-8, Markande 18-0-59-1, Suthar 33-4-85-0, Ishan 1-0-7-0, Sai Sudharsan 1-0-3-0.

India-C — 2nd innings: B. Sai Sudharsan b Mukesh 11, Ruturaj Gaikwad lbw b Chahar 62, Rajat Patidar lbw b Musheer 42, Ishan Kishan b Chahar 1, B. Indrajith (not out) 5, Abishek Porel (not out) 4; Extras (lb-1, w-1, nb-1): 3; Total (for four wkts. in 37 overs): 128.

Fall of wickets: 1-17, 2-113, 3-118, 4-121.

India-B bowling: Mukesh 9-0-39-1, Saini 7-2-22-0, Sai Kishore 8-1-22-0, Nitish 4-0-20-0, Musheer 4-0-12-1, Chahar 4-0-8-2, Washington 1-0-4-0.

Mumbai all-rounder Shams Mulani has had a first-class match of his life. After scoring a match-saving 89 in the first innings for India A against India D in the Duleep Trophy 2024 second round, Mulani now starred with the ball and with his quick thinking in the field. Not only did he pick up four wickets in the game, the 27-year-old was able to inflict a rare type of run out. Yash Dubey, opening the batting for India D, was the victim of a stroke of misfortune and a brilliant piece of game alertness by Mulani.

Watch: Yash Dubey run out by Shams Mulani

Some quick thinking, presence of mind & luck helped India A break the 100-run stand between Yash Dubey & Ricky Bhui #DuleepTrophy | @IDFCFIRSTBank

Follow the match : https://t.co/m9YW0HttaH pic.twitter.com/w6nBmgPxfB

— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) September 15, 2024

Striker Ricky Bhui had played a ball bowled by Mulani down the ground, but the ball happened to deflect off non-striker Dubey’s bat. However, Dubey, thinking that the ball had slipped through, attempted to sneak a quick single.

However, an alert Mulani noticed that the ball hadn’t gone too far, and grabbed it and dislodged the stumps at the non-striker’s end. Dubey was late to react, and had to walk back to the pavilion. He was dismissed on a score of 37 off 94 balls.

India A vs India D, Duleep Trophy 2024: As it happened

India A registered a thumping 186-run victory, despite struggling at 94/5 in their first innings. Mulani’s resilient 89 had helped India A to go from there to a total of 290, after which they took a 107-run lead as India D were bowled out for just 183.

Notably, India D captain Shreyas Iyer made a duck, after walking out to bat wearing sunglasses.

In the second innings, centuries by Pratham Singh and Tilak Verma helped India A set a mammoth target of 487. India D were bowled out for 301, with Mulani dismantling the middle order by taking the wickets of Devdutt Padikkal, Shreyas Iyer and Sanju Samson, along with his moment of genius by running out Dubey.