Star pacer Mohammed Shami missed out on a place in the playing XI for the 1st T20I against England, which India won by 7 wickets at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Wednesday. Shami, who last played for India in November 2023, was expected to make his return for the team after 14 long months. But, he was sidelined for the series-opener, fueling speculations whether the BCCI selectors are content about his fitness. However, veteran spinner Piyush Chawla backed the decision to bench Shami for the game.

Chawla feels that the team management made the right call not to risk Shami, pointing out that the latter is still limping a bit while bowling. He suggested that the ultimate goal is to get Shami fully fit for the Champions Trophy.

“If you see the run-up, he is still limping a bit. The main target should be Champions Trophy, and getting fit for that. Lots of matches in this series, even if he misses a few games, that is okay,” said Chawla.

Wrist-spinner Varun Chakravarthy took an incredible 3-23, while left-handed opener Abhishek Sharma smashed a scintillating 79 to help India take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.

For India, everything went right from the time they elected to bowl first to bowl out England for just 132. Arshdeep Singh took out the openers quickly to become India’s leading wicket-taker in men’s T20Is. 

After that, Chakaravarthy spun a brilliant spin web to leave England dazed in the middle overs. 

Axar Patel and Hardik Pandya also picked two wickets in a comprehensive bowling performance for India. For England, captain Jos Buttler waged a lone battle to hit 68 off 44 balls, even as others fell around him.

In reply, India chased down 133 inside 13 overs, thanks to Abhishek’s 20-ball fifty, the first time he hit a half-century in the shortest format on home soil. Abhishek provided an absolute masterclass to a full house crowd on opening the batting by hitting five boundaries and eight sixes in his 34-ball stay.

He mixed finesse and brute force in getting 68 out of 79 runs from boundaries and played a leading role in getting a comprehensive win for India.

(With IANS Inputs)

File photo of David Warner© BCCI

The IPL 2025 mega auction retention rules were announced by the Indian Premier League (IPL) Governing Council on Sunday. Alongside the rule that IPL franchises can retain upto a maximum of six players including one uncapped player, there was a twist. An old law – that had been there since 2008 but removed in 2022 – was reinstated ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction. This is the law that allows Indian players who haven’t played an international game in more than five years to be retained as ‘uncapped player’.

IPL franchises have to retain a minimum of one uncapped player, at Rs 4 crore, if they choose to keep all six retentions. The Governing Council’s new law opens up the door for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to retain legendary India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni for a small amount.

“A capped Indian player will become uncapped, if the player has in the last five calendar years preceding the year in which the relevant Season is held, not played in the starting XI in International Cricket (Test match, ODI, Twenty20 International) or does not have a Central Contract with BCCI. This will be applicable for Indian Players only,” the BCCI said in a release.

However, Dhoni isn’t the only player who can be retained in this way. Here is the full list of nine players who have played internationals for India, but can be retained as ‘uncapped’:

Piyush Chawla – Mumbai Indians

The veteran leg-spinner last played for India in 2012, and could be a spin solution for five-time IPL champions Mumbai Indians.

Sandeep Sharma – Rajasthan Royals

The pacer showed glimpses of great form during IPL 2024, and can be a smart retention by Rajasthan, who have appointed Rahul Dravid as head coach.

Rishi Dhawan – Punjab Kings

The all-rounder played three ODIs and one T20I for India in 2016, and therefore can be retained as uncapped.

Mayank Markande – Sunrisers Hyderabad

Only 26, spinner Mayank Markande used to be an IPL regular for Mumbai Indians, and can be retained cheaply by Sunrisers.

Vijay Shankar – Gujarat Titans

Once selected for India’s squad in the 2019 World Cup, Vijay Shankar has not played for India since that year.

Mohit Sharma – Gujarat Titans

Like Vijay Shankar, Mohit is also a former World-Cupper for India (2015). Having picked up 40 wickets over the last two IPL seasons, he could be a handy retention.

Amit Mishra – Lucknow Super Giants

The ageless Amit Mishra could be a smart retention by LSG, particularly with the Impact Player rule set to stay.

Karn Sharma – Royal Challengers Bengaluru

Having played just one Test, one T20I and two ODIs for India, he is an ‘uncapped’ retention option for Virat Kohli‘s RCB.

MS Dhoni – Chennai Super Kings

In what is surely a move waiting to happen, Dhoni can be retained by CSK for no more than Rs 4 crore ahead of the 2025 IPL Mega Auction.

File image of Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir© AFP

Veteran leg-spinner Piyush Chawla, who last played an international match in December 2012, has picked his all-time India ODI XI. While speaking to Shubhankar Mishra on the latter’s podcast, Chawla, who hasn’t played for India in over a decade, picked legendary wicketkeeper-batter MS Dhoni as the captain of the team. At the top of the order, Chawla picked legendary batter Sachin Tendulkar and current India captain Rohit Sharma as openers. At no.3, the 35-year-old made a surprise pick in the form of Virender Sehwag, and demoted Virat Kohli to no. 4.

In the middle order, he picked Yuvraj Singh and Kapil Dev, who led India to its maiden ODI World Cup title in 1983, as his all-rounders, with Dhoni adding more batting firepower down the order.

In the bowling department, Chawla picked two spinners — Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh — and two pacers, one each from the past and present teams.

He chose Jasprit Bumrah to partner 2011 World Cup-winner Zaheer Khan.

During the same interaction, Chawla also opened up on his bond with current India captain Rohit.

“I’ve played so much cricket with him that we’ve reached a comfort level. We sit off the field as well. Once, at 2:30 in the night, he texted me and asked, “you up?” He drew a field on paper and discussed with me about potentially dismissing Warner. Even at that time, he was thinking about how he could get the best out of me,” Chawla revealed.

While praising Rohit, Chawla added: “There’s a captain, then there’s a leader. He isn’t a captain, he is a leader. Whether it was 2023 ODI WC, or the 2024 T20 WC, the way he batted, he sets the tone in such a way that he made it easy for next batters. He’s a true leader. He gives you a free hand.”

Piyush Chawla’s All-Time India ODI XI:

Sachin Tendulkar, Rohit Sharma, Virender Sehwag, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni, Kapil Dev, Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, Jasprit Bumrah And Zaheer Khan

Age is just a number. Some of the Indian players have actually proved this with their performances. There is a long list of such players that includes the likes of MS Dhoni and Piyush Chawla. The two are still active in the Indian Premier League. While Chawla is 35, 43-year-old Dhoni is also aging like fine wine. Both the players were the part of IPL 2024. Dhoni appeared for Chennai Super Kings and Chawla played for Mumbai Indians. Though both of them are close to their retirements from the game of cricket, neither Dhoni nor Chawla have shown any keen interest towards the decision.

“Will Piyush Chawla retire first or MS Dhoni,” asked host Shubhankar Mishra on his show.

“Mahi bhai (MS Dhoni),” replied Chawla before sharing a laugh.

“A while ago, Prithvi Shaw told me ‘PC bhai bas karo yaar ab’. I said, I’ve played with Sachin paaji, and now playing with his son. I am playing with you, and after playing with your son, I will retire,” the veteran India spinner added.

Chawala made his India debut in 2007. Besides being MS Dhoni’s India teammate, Chawla has also been the member of India’s 2007 T20 World Cup and 2011 ODI World Cup winning teams. Notably, Dhoni was the captain of the side in both the events.

Dhoni called time on his international career in 2020, but out-of-favour Chawla has not made any formal announcement of his retirement.

In another interview, Dhoni’s former India teammate Mohammed Shami had revealed the player’s retirement strategy.

“You (media) guys have been putting a question mark on his future. The man himself says, ‘Dekha Jayega’ (let’s see),” Shami had said on Shubhankar Mishra’s YouTube channel.

“I had this conversation with Mahi bhai, asking ‘When should a player retire?’. He said, ‘First when you yourself get bored and second, Jab lage ki laat padne wali hai (when you realise that you would be kicked out of the team).’

“But the first and foremost thing is that when you stop enjoying the game, it’s a sign that your time has come. Better you choose the best moment to retire. Because your body starts intimating you if you can’t sustain a particular format. That’s when a player should call it time,” Shami had added.

File photo of Piyush Chawla (left) and Rohit Sharma.© BCCI

Piyush Chawla, the veteran India leg-spinner, believes left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav is in prime form and is ready to make a substantial impact for the Rohit Sharma-led side in their 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup semifinal clash against England at the Providence Stadium in Guyana on Thursday night. After not featuring in Group A matches due to fast-bowling friendly conditions in New York, Kuldeep has yielded fruitful returns to be India’s controller of proceedings in the middle overs, picking seven wickets at an average of 10.71, and economy rate of just 6.25 in India’s Super Eights games in the Caribbean.

With the venue in Guyana expected to aid spinners, Kuldeep is expected to bring his adaptability to the fore and lead India’s charge against England through his subtle changes in pace, variations and using the crease well to bamboozle the batters.

“Kuldeep Yadav’s resurgence has been one of the greatest comebacks in the history of Indian cricket. His absence in the 2022 semi-final was a significant miss for India, but this time, he’s in prime form and ready to make a substantial impact. Kuldeep’s unorthodox left-arm wrist spin and the ability to extract turn and bounce, coupled with his deceptive variations, can be a game-changer in the middle overs,” said Chawla, an expert in ‘Caught and Bold’ show on Disney Hotstar, to IANS.

Chawla also noted that Kuldeep has fared well against England on various occasions at the international level. He had also picked a six-fer against England in the Nottingham ODI in 2018, as well as five-fer in the Manchester T20I in the same tour. More recently, he took a five-fer in the final Test at Dharamshala, as India won the series 4-1.

Kuldeep also has a good record against England skipper Jos Buttler, who he has dismissed three times in T20s. More recently, in IPL 2024, Kuldeep had trapped Buttler lbw on reverse-sweep during the Delhi Capitals-Rajasthan Royals game at Jaipur in March.

In the 2023 Men’s ODI World Cup game at Lucknow, the left-arm wrist spinner produced a magic moment when he pitched one outside the off-stump with a flatter trajectory and got the ball to turn sharply by nearly a mile to castle captain Jos Buttler through the gate with precision.

“He also has a good record playing against England. In the upcoming semi-final, Kuldeep will be crucial in disrupting England’s aggressive batting mantra. He will be India’s trump card against England’s explosive batting order. Given his current form and confidence, Kuldeep Yadav is poised to be a significant threat, making the middle overs a challenging period for England batsmen,” added Chawla, a member of India’s 2011 ODI World Cup winning team.

From England’s bowling perspective, leg-spinner Adil Rashid shapes up as a crucial figure in controlling the middle overs. In the 2022 Men’s T20 World Cup semi-final meet between England and India at Adelaide, Rashid picked 1-20 in his four overs, including taking out an in-form Suryakumar Yadav, as Buttler & Co won by ten wickets.

Chawla reckons Rashid, who has picked nine wickets in the ongoing tournament with his immaculate control on pace and variations, will be an important bowler for England to control the middle overs and put the pressure on India in the highly-anticipated semi-final clash.

“Adil Rashid has been a crucial component for England in the middle overs. Rashid’s variations, including his googly and subtle changes in pace, makes him a formidable threat on the West Indian pitches. In the upcoming semi-final against India, Rashid’s role will be pivotal for England to win.

“If he can maintain his discipline and keep the pressure on, he could very well be the key for England putting pressure on Indian batsmen. His knack for breaking partnerships is especially valuable in the middle overs, a phase where the game often shifts decisively. England will be counting on Rashid to deliver a spell that not only controls the run flow but also provides breakthroughs at crucial moments,” he concluded.

File image of Jasprit Bumrah.© AFP