Hours after his omission from Team India’s squad for the Champions Trophy, Vidarbha captain Karun Nair dream run in the Vijay Hazare Trophy came to an end with a 27-run knock in the final against Karnataka. Nair, who had scored 752 runs in seven games in the lead up to the final, was undone by an excellent delivery from pacer Prasidh Krishna. Nair was beaten all ends up as the ball kept low and nipped back in sharply to rattle the stumps.

Big wicket

Prasidh Krishna gets the crucial wicket of Karun Nair #VijayHazareTrophy @IDFCFIRSTBank

Scorecard https://t.co/ZZjfWXaajB pic.twitter.com/0D0CUIyuYO

— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) January 18, 2025

Nair’s dismissal saw Vidarbha reduced to 88/2 while chasing 349 against Karnataka in the final.

Earlier, Ravichandran Smaran smashed a century to power Karnataka to 348/6 in 50 overs.

Krishnan Shrijith and Abhinav Manohar also scored half-centuries to propel Karnataka to a big total.

Meanwhile, Nair’s omission from the Champions Trophy squad will raise questions about the relevance for scoring heavily in domestic cricket.

Head of BCCI’s selection committee, Ajit Agarkar, admitted that it was indeed tough to include Karun in a squad of 15 in the current situation.

“Yeah, it is tough. Those are really special performances. I mean, someone who averages – 700-plus, 750-plus. We did have a chat (about Karun),” Agarkar said in the press meet to announce the Indian squads here on Saturday.

“But at the moment, to find a spot in this team is very difficult. I mean, look at the guys who’ve been picked. All average well in excess of mid-40s.

“So, unfortunately, you can’t fit everyone in. It’s a squad of 15. But those performances (like Karun) certainly make you take notice,” he added.

So, what precisely is the team combination that Agarkar was talking about? In domestic cricket, Karun bats the highest at No. 3, and at times, comes at either No. 4 or 5, depending on the conditions.

However, those slots in the Indian team are occupied by Virat Kohli, a titan in one-dayers, Shreyas Iyer, who averages close to 50 in ODIs, and either KL Rahul, a proven, flexible 50-over batter who also keep wickets, or Rishabh Pant, an explosive left-handed batter and the first-choice stumper-batter.

(With PTI Inputs)

File image of Gautam Gambhir.© BCCI

Karnataka’s Prasidh Krishna, Devdutt Padikkal and Tamil Nadu all-rounder Washington Sundar will be available for the Vijay Hazare Trophy knockout matches, starting in Vadodara from Thursday, after featuring in the recent Border-Gavaskar Trophy series against Australia. However, KL Rahul, who played all the five Test matches against the Aussies, has requested for a break and will skip the Hazare knockouts. Rahul’s availability for the second phase of the Ranji Trophy, beginning on January 23, will be decided at a later date. India head coach Gautam Gambhir had recently expressed his desire to see frontline Indian players making themselves available for the remainder of the premier domestic red-ball tournament.

Washington, though, could link up with Tamil Nadu only if the team progresses to the semifinals of the Vijay Hazare Trophy.

He played three matches and made 114 runs with a fifty but bowled just 37 overs across those Tests as pacers were preferred because of the conditions. The off-spinner took just three wickets.

Prasidh will be high on confidence after making a good impression in the fifth Test at Sydney, where the pacer grabbed six Australian wickets — 3/42 in the first innings and 3/65 in the second essay.

Devdutt played just one Test match at Perth, primarily because skipper Rohit Sharma stayed back in India to welcome his second baby.

The left-hander made a zero and 25 in India’s 295-run win at Perth but was not selected for any of the other four Test matches.

The 24-year-old was in terrific form prior to leaving for Australia for the India A tour, smashing four First-Class hundreds across Duleep Trophy and in the first leg of the Ranji Trophy.

Both Prasidh and Devdutt are scheduled to join the Karnataka squad on January 10, a day ahead of their quarterfinal match against Baroda at Vadodara.

Nitish to play Ranji

Nitish Kumar Reddy too will fly out of Australia on Wednesday but he will not be seen in action immediately as Andhra has not progressed to the knockout stage.

However, Nitish, who impressed everyone with his gutsy batting Down Under including a hundred at Melbourne, is likely to play in the second phase of the Ranji Trophy.

He has played only one match this season before travelling to Australia.

Andhra has two matches left this season against Puducherry from January 23 and against Rajasthan from January 30.

They are currently placed seventh in Elite Group B with four points after three defeats and two draws from five matches.

The ongoing fifth and final Test between India and Australia is evenly poised heading into Day 3 at the Sydney Cricket Ground. While a total of 15 wickets fell on Day 2, India stand-in Jasprit Bumrah‘s injury was the highlight of the day. Bumrah bowled just one over after Lunch, with the likes of Prasidh Krishna (3-42), Mohammed Siraj (3-51) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (2-32) sharing the workload in his absence. Bumrah left the stadium with the team doctor and a security officer as shown on the live broadcast.

He was later shown returning to the dressing room after scans before stumps. India pacer Krishna, while speaking at a press conference, revealed that Bumrah suffered back spasm. However, he couldn’t confirm whether Bumrah will take the field on Day 3.

However, reports later revealed that while Bumrah will be “ok” to bat, a final call on his participation for Australia’s second innings will be taken on the basis of how he feels in the morning.

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar believes Bumrah’s return is a serious cause for concern for the side, with the team having only four wickets in hand, and even a lead of 200 may not be safe if the 31-year-old does not bowl on day 3.

“Look, if Indian scores more 40 runs or they put 185 on the board then they have a great chance but it all depends on Jasprit Bumrah’s fitness. If Jasprit Bumrah is fit then 145-150 might be enough. But if Jasprit Bumrah is not fit then a score of around 200 also might not be enough,” Gavaskar told Star Sports during an interaction.

Gavaskar went on to add that India’s decision to maintain secrecy over Bumrah’s availability was the right decision.

“One thing that I liked was when he came back after the scan, obviously it took a lot of time because the hospital is a bit far, but he looked in good shape and his body language was such that there was no indication of the Australian team and it is very important to maintain the secrecy.

“Because, tactically you do not want to announce whether Bumrah will be available for bowling or not, and even if he is not available and this news goes across the opposition dressing room because till now Australian batsmen haven’t found out a way to counter him, they don’t know whether they should attack, defend, or whether they should play on front-foot.

“So to execute this plan it is important to maintain secrecy, so Bumrah and the Indian team management managed it quite well,” he added.

(With IANS Inputs)

Indian pacer Prasidh Krishna, shared his thoughts on the leadership styles of Jasprit Bumrah and Rohit Sharma. Krishna emphasized that while every captain brings their unique approach, the team’s preparation and clarity in execution remain constant, irrespective of who is at the helm.  “I think no matter who is leading, as a team we prepare really well about what we can do and what we need to be doing when he goes in as a bowling unit,” Krishna remarked during the post-day press conference today, underlining the collective effort and synergy within the team.

He further elaborated that the clarity in plans is a hallmark of the Indian side, ensuring seamless transitions in leadership.

“The plan was pretty clear even while Bumrah was on or Virat was on, so not much changed that way,” Krishna added.

Rohit Sharma earlier decided to drop himself from the playing XI in the fifth and final Test of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday.

The world of cricket was left in a state of shock when Jasprit Bumrah came out at the time of the toss on Friday, confirming Rohit’s absence from the playing XI. At the time of the toss, the stand-in skipper confirmed that Rohit opted out.

Coming to the final session of the match, Rishabh Pant’s blitz knock helped India post 141/6 on the board in their second innings on Saturday, extending their lead to 145 runs against Australia on Day 2 of the fifth Border-Gavaskar Test.

Earlier in the day, Australia was bowled out for 181, giving India a slender lead.

Coming out to bat in the final session, Indian openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul displayed some fluent strokes, but the first breakthrough came when Scott Boland dismissed Rahul for 13, leaving India at 42/1. Jaiswal soon followed, clean bowled by Boland for 22.

India faced further setbacks as star batter Virat Kohli was caught in the slip cordon by Steve Smith off Boland for 17, falling to a delivery outside the off-stump. At 59/3, India was in trouble.

Debutant Beau Webster added to India’s struggles, claiming his maiden Test wicket by dismissing Shubman Gill for 13.

Rishabh Pant, the wicketkeeper-batter ignited the innings with a scintillating counterattack, smashing Mitchell Starc for a six on the very first ball he faced. He then unleashed a flurry of boundaries, hitting three in a single over from Webster. Pant raced to a half-century in just 29 balls, hitting two consecutive sixes to Starc, the second-fastest fifty by an Indian in Tests. The record of 28 balls, also held by Pant, was set against Sri Lanka in 2022.

Pant’s explosive knock ended at 61 off 33 balls when he was dismissed by Pat Cummins. His innings featured six boundaries and four towering sixes, lifting India to 124/5.

Nitish Kumar Reddy could only add 4 runs before chipping a simple catch to Cummins at mid-off, becoming Boland’s fourth victim of the day.

At stumps, Ravindra Jadeja (8*) and Washington Sundar (6*) remained unbeaten, showing grit to keep India’s lead intact. With the match finely poised, India will look to extend their advantage on Day 3.

Jasprit Bumrah has suffered back spasm and the team is waiting for an update from medical team.© AFP

Indian cricket team captain Rohit Sharma© AFP

File photo of Mohammed Shami© X (Twitter)

Amid concerns over his form, former India captain Virat Kohli took the field on Friday for a match simulation ahead of the 1st Test against Australia at the Optus Stadium. Just a day after he underwent scans, the legendary batter scored 15 runs in the first innings of the simulation match at the WACA Ground in Perth. According to a report in the Times of India, Kohli batted without any discomfort despite undergoing a scan on Thursday. However, the report couldn’t clarify the reason behind Kohli’s injury scare.

“Virat Kohli is absolutely fine. He batted in the match simulation without any discomfort and also had a hit in the net after he got out. No concerns there,” the report quoted a source as saying.

KL Rahul, who is tipped to open in Perth Test in the absence for captain Rohit Sharma, was hit by a ball in the match simulation and couldn’t bat any further. However, the report added that “there are no major concerns there as well”.

After being dismissed, Kohli also took throwdowns on the sidelines of the simulation match. Not only that, he also came out to bat for the second time in the match, scoring an unbeaten 30 before leaving the field.

Looks like Virat Kohli is done for the day. Was on 30 after batting for an hour. Started to get in rhythm after a shaky start.

Pant was bowled by the impressive Mukesh Kumar. Second time in the day he had been bowled

— Tristan Lavalette (@trislavalette) November 15, 2024

The Indian batters, in general, struggled against the bowlers in the match simulation. Prasidh Krishna and Nitish Kumar Reddy troubled the Indian batters, including Kohli and Rishabh Pant. While Kohli left the field unbeaten on 30, Pant was castled for the second time in the day. 

The much-anticipated Border-Gavaskar series between India and Australia kicks off on November 22, with the first Test at Perth.

The second Test, featuring the day-night format, will take place under lights at Adelaide Oval from December 6 to 10. Fans will then turn their attention to The Gabba in Brisbane for the third Test from December 14 to 18.

The traditional Boxing Day Test, scheduled from December 26 to 30 at Melbourne’s iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground, will mark the series’ penultimate stage.

The fifth and final Test will be held at the Sydney Cricket Ground from January 3 to 7, promising an exciting climax to a highly anticipated series.

(With ANI Inputs)