A resolute Vidarbha reduced Mumbai to 83 for three in their second innings here at the close of Day Four on Thursday, and the defending champions now need a further 323 to win the semifinal match on the fifth and final day. Mumbai are chasing a tall 406 for an improbable victory. Yash Rathod’s 151 (252 balls, 11 fours) and a dogged half-century from skipper Akshay Wadkar (52 off 202 balls, 5×4) took Vidarbha to 292 all out after resuming the day at 147 for four. Having already amassed a huge lead of 113 runs in the first essay, Vidarbha were able to set a huge target of 406. But Mumbai’s reply did not inspire much confidence.

Ayush Mhatre (18), Siddhesh Lad (2) and Mumbai captain Ajinkya Rahane (12) perished against spin bowling as Vidarbha tightened the screws on the visitors here at the VCA Stadium in Jamtha, setting themselves up to avenge their loss in the Ranji Trophy final last season.

Akash Anand, whose 106 was the only bright spot for Mumbai in the first innings, once again made a fine effort making 27 not out off 92 balls with one four.

At the other end, Shivam Dube was batting on 12. Mumbai are pinning their hopes on the likes of India T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav, Shardul Thakur, Tanush Kotian and Shams Mulani to produce a rearguard on the final day.

But the task would not be easy given the way spinners prised out three wickets to have fallen in the final session.

Mhatre was cleaned up by left-arm spinner Harsh Dube, who also had Lad stumped for a mere two when the No. 3 batter came dancing down the wicket.

Playing only his second First-Class game, the 25-year-old Parth Rekhade once again accounted for Rahane, trapping him leg-before for the third wicket for his side. The pair of Anand and Dube took charge to take Mumbai to stumps without any further damage.

But the day belonged to Vidarbha and two of its star players Rathod and Dube.

With his fifth century of the Ranji Trophy season, Rathod took his runs tally to 933 in nine matches at 58.31 which also includes three half-centuries.

With two more dismissals added to his tally on Thursday, the left-armer Dube’s tally this season swelled to 63 wickets in nine matches with six five-wicket hauls.

Earlier at resumption, Rathod and Wadkar batted with determination as Mumbai did not find much success in the first session. The left-handed Rathod brought up his ton from 168 balls while putting on a stoic 158-run stand with Wadkar for the fifth wicket.

The pair was separated when Mulani cleaned up Wadkar for 52 in the 82nd over, and the Mumbai spinner added three more wickets to his column to return 44-9-85-6.

Kotian took 3/81 while Thakur claimed one wicket.

Gujarat vs Kerala

A resilient 72-run unbroken partnership for the eighth wicket between Jaymeet Patel and Siddharth Desai, following a commanding 148 from opener Priyank Panchal, kept Gujarat on the brink of a third Ranji Trophy final as they finished day four at 429/7 in response to Kerala’s 457 after penultimate day’s play here on Wednesday. Jaymeet, displaying immense patience and temperament, remained unbeaten on 74 from 161 deliveries, curbing his natural strokeplay.

His innings, which included just two boundaries, exemplified his determination to grind out a crucial innings under pressure.

Desai, offering staunch support, was unbeaten on 24 from 134 balls, making full use of his reprieve on 11.

The left-handed duo showed remarkable composure, battling through 36.4 overs as Gujarat trailed by just 28 runs with three wickets in hand heading into the final day.

With the first-innings lead likely to decide the contest, Jaymeet and Desai would look to inch closer to Kerala’s total and push their team into the Ranji Trophy final after 2016-17 when they had won their maiden title. Gujarat had also advanced into the Ranji final in 1950-51 when they finished runners-up.

Kerala started the day strongly. Domestic stalwart Jalaj Saxena led the act with his clever spin bowling.

Manan Hingrajia (33) was the first to fall in the morning session, adding just three runs to his overnight total before Jalaj trapped him leg-before.

Panchal followed soon after, falling agonisingly short of 150 as Jalaj struck again. He got out for 148 (237 balls, 18x4s, 1×6) that proved a major setback for the home side.

Wicketkeeper-batter Urvil Patel (25) was the third victim of the morning, stumped after being deceived by Jalaj’s flight.

Jalaj was the backbone of Kerala’s bowling effort, sending down a herculean 61 overs.

He bowled unchanged in the morning session and took all three wickets to fall before lunch.

By lunch, Gujarat had slipped to 325/5, with Kerala sensing an opportunity to take control and gain that crucial first innings lead.

Skipper Chintan Gaja (2) fell immediately after the break, once again to Jalaj, who ended the day with figures of 4/137 in a marathon 61-over bowling spell, which included 12 maidens.

With Gujarat reeling at 357/7, still trailing by 100 runs, the onus was on Jaymeet and Desai to script a fightback.

The duo rose to the occasion, showing remarkable patience and resilience, particularly in the face of a tiring Kerala attack that struggled to maintain intensity.

As the final session commenced, Jaymeet and Desai showcased extraordinary defensive technique and patience, denying Kerala bowlers any further breakthroughs.

Jaymeet brought up his fifty off 107 balls with a single against Nidheesh. This was his fifth consecutive 50-plus score in the Ranji Trophy, which included two centuries.

Desai, dropped on 11 by Akshay Chandran at second slip, made Kerala pay for their lapse.

Though he managed only one boundary in his 134-ball stay, his solid defensive approach frustrated the opposition, complementing Jaymeet’s measured innings.

Despite having close-in fielders surrounding the bat in a gripping final session, Kerala bowlers looked increasingly listless.

Jaymeet cleverly manoeuvred the field to pick up easy singles, ensuring the scoreboard kept ticking.

The lack of support for Jalaj from the rest was evident and is likely to hurt Kerala, as the fielders failed to sustain the pressure and bowlers struggled to find breakthroughs.

Pace spearhead MD Nidheesh struggled with accuracy and finished with 1/86 from 23 overs, proving to be the most expensive of their six-man attack.

N Basil (1/59; 22 overs) and Aditya Sarwate (1/104; 36 overs) managed a wicket each but failed to apply sustained pressure, allowing Gujarat’s lower order to build a crucial stand.

Gujarat had earlier made a strategic decision to bring in Hemang Patel as a concussion substitute for Ravi Bishnoi, who was ruled out after suffering a delayed concussion from a blow to the forehead while fielding on day three.

Bishnoi had dived full-length at point in an attempt to stop a shot, only for the ball to ricochet off his hand onto his head.

The injury forced Gujarat to call in Hemang, who coming in at No. 5, played an aggressive knock to counter Kerala’s attack.

He took on Jalaj, hitting two boundaries in the 94th over, and also dispatched Aditya Sarwate for a six in an effort to keep Gujarat in the hunt.

Brief scores:

Vidarbha 383 & 292 in 110.1 overs (Yash Rathod 151, Akshay Wadkar 52; Shams Mulani 6/85, Tanush Kotian 3/81) lead Mumbai 270 & 83/3 in 31 overs (Akash Anand 27 batting; Harsh Dubey 2/26, Parth Rekhade 1/16) by 323 runs.

Kerala 1st Innings: 457 all out vs Gujarat 1st Innings: 429/7 in 154 overs (Priyank Panchal 148, Jaymeet Patel 74 batting, Aarya Desai 73, Siddharth Desai 24 batting; Jalaj Saxena 4/137). Gujarat trail by 28 runs.

Veteran Sachin Baby steadied Kerala’s innings with a resolute unbeaten half-century, guiding his team to 206/4 against a probing Gujarat attack on the opening day of their Ranji Trophy semifinal here on Monday. The 36-year-old southpaw occupied the crease for two full sessions, crafting an unbeaten 69 off 193 balls (8×4) that kept their maiden final hopes alive. He found an able ally in Mohammed Azharuddeen, who remained unbeaten on 30 off 66 balls (3×4) after surviving a last-ball LBW scare as DRS overturned the decision, denying Gujarat a breakthrough right before stumps. Trapped LBW by Chintan Gaja, the Kerala keeper-batter was given out by the on-field umpire, sparking celebrations in Gujarat camp.

However, the batter immediately reviewed the decision, and ball-tracking confirmed it was sliding down the leg side as Kerala heaved a sigh of relief, ending the day without further damage.

Their unbroken fifth-wicket stand of 49 runs kept Kerala afloat against Gujarat’s relentless bowling attack, which deployed seven bowlers, though only Arzan Nagwaswalla (16-4-39-1), Priyajitsing Jadeja (12-0-33-1), and leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi (15-2-33-1) managed breakthroughs.

With Kerala looking to build on their total, the first session on day two will be crucial, and Baby’s innings will hold the key.

On the other hand, the hosts, seeking their first final appearance since their maiden Ranji Trophy triumph in 2016-17, will look to seize control early.

Opting to bat, Kerala started well, but none of the top-order batters could convert their starts into a big knocks.

While wickets fell at regular intervals, Baby stood firm, bringing up his 28th first-class fifty.

The scoring rate, however, remained sluggish throughout the day as Kerala crawled to 200 in 86.3 overs, consuming over 470 dot balls.

Gujarat toiled hard, and the crucial strikes and low-scoring run-rate from Kerala definitely kept them in the contest.

With four wickets down, an early breakthrough on day two could tilt the balance in favour of the home side.

Kerala looked to be settling in when left-arm pacer Nagwaswalla broke a promising fourth-wicket partnership, worth 71 runs, cleaning up Jalaj Saxena.

Attempting a late cut off a back-of-a-length delivery, Jalaj only managed to drag the ball onto his stumps. The wicket came just a delivery after he had survived an LBW review.

Baby was highly disciplined in his approach, displaying excellent judgment outside the off-stump and rarely flirting with deliveries in the fourth-stump channel.

The experienced left-hander took his time, grinding out a patient innings against a Gujarat attack that bowled with discipline.

Azharuddeen, Kerala’s second-highest run-getter this season, took 11 deliveries to get off the mark but provided solid support to Baby.

Left-arm spinner Siddharth Desai exploited the rough patches outside off-stump, but Baby remained unperturbed, watching the ball closely and countering spin with a solid defence.

Despite the second new ball being available, Gujarat refrained from taking it, preferring to persist with Desai and Bishnoi in the closing stages of the day, with close-in fielders crowding the batters.

They finally took the second new ball in the 86th over but did not taste any success.

Earlier, Kerala made up a solid start with openers Rohan Kunnummal and Akshay Chandran negotiating the new ball spells of Chintan Gaja and Nagwaswalla without any trouble.

The duo put up a 60-run stand, showing patience against the Gujarat bowlers while capitalising on loose deliveries.

However, Gujarat struck back before the lunch break when a mix-up led to Chandran’s run out for 30 off 71 balls (5×4).

Within four overs, Gujarat struck again when Kunnummal was trapped leg-before by Bishnoi for 30 off 68 balls (5×4) after an unsuccessful DRS review. Kerala, from a steady 60/0, found themselves at 63/2.

The left-right combination had looked comfortable, but the two dismissals came against the run of play, leaving Kerala with two new batters at the crease.

Varun Nayanar’s tentative stay ended at 10, edging Jadeja behind, reducing Kerala to 86/3.

From there, Baby and Jalaj steadied the innings with their cautious partnership, frustrating the Gujarat attack.

Gujarat even lost a review when Bishnoi’s appeal against Jalaj was turned down. 

Mumbai vs Vidarbha

Danish Malewar’s gritty 79 and opener Dhruv Shorey’s attractive 74 made up for a gritty batting show by hosts Vidarbha as they reached 308 for 5 against defending champions Mumbai on the first day of their Ranji Trophy semi-final here on Monday. Karun Nair, who is back in contention for a Test team berth, scored a chiselled 45 before he seemed distinctly unhappy with a caught behind decision of Shivam Dube’s bowling although he had opted for DRS.

While the two-time champions didn’t have a big partnership, they had enough middling stands to see them cross 300-run mark after Mumbai had sent down 88 overs in the day.

Mumbai bowlers were also guilty of bowling as many as 13 no balls during the course of the opening day.

Left-arm spinner Shams Mulani (2/44 in 18 overs) was easily the best bowler on the day as he got appreciable bounce and some amount of purchase from the Jamtha track.

Dube (2/35 in 9 overs) also had a couple wickets but one of them was more so because of a splendid one-handed diving catch by Suryakumar Yadav in the slip cordon.

That Mumbai failed to make more inroads was because the two new ball bowlers Shardul Thakur (0/57 in 14 overs) and Mohit Avasthi (0/61 in 14 overs) were way off the mark with both new ball and second new ball at the fag end of the day.

The morning session belonged to Shorey, who capitalised on the half-volleys provided by Avasthi, who simply doesn’t have the required pace to trouble batters if he doesn’t get to swing the new ball.

As far as Shardul is concerned, he fed Shorey on the legs and got whipped.

It was left-armer Royston Dias, who got the breakthrough with a delivery that climbed on left-hander Atharva Taide (4) as the batter tried to shoulder arms.

Shorey, a former Delhi opener, who hit nine boundaries, added 54 for the second wicket with left-hander Parth Rekhade (23), who was out just before lunch trying to drive Dube but Surya standing at third slip showing brilliant reflexes to pouch it one-handed.

Malewar, who has been Vidarbha’s find of the season, blended caution with aggression after lunch, dominating in his 51-run stand with Shorey.

Shorey, who looked good for a three-figure mark, was finally gone when Mulani got one to jump off length and it turned enough to carry the edge which Mumbai skipper Ajinkya Rahane gleefully accepted.

Nair, who is in fantastic form this season, looked effortless while tackling both Mulani and off-spinner Tanush Kotian en route his 78-run fourth wicket stand with Malewar.

They were ready to use their feet with Malewar hitting the only six off the day off Mulani, who was otherwise in full control.

Nair, who had hit six boundaries, looked in control before a delivery from Dube in the post-tea session moved a shade and was taken by keeper Akash Anand.

While on-field umpire gave it out after some deliberation, Nair asked for review and the decision was upheld.

Malewar’s 159 ball knock ended when he tried to play forward defence to a Mulani delivery that kissed the outside edge into keeper Anand’s gloves.

However the bespectacled pair of left-handed Yash Rathod (47 batting) and skipper Akshay Wadkar (13 batting) added 47 for the unbroken sixth wicket to take the total past 300-run mark.

Mumbai Indians (MI) captain Hardik Pandya will miss his side’s opening match of the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) season, which will be against fellow five-time champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the Chepauk on March 23. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Sunday announced the schedule of IPL 2025. Defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will take on Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the opening match at Eden Gardens on March 23, a Saturday. 

While last season’s runner’s up SunRisers Hyderabad will host Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the first match on Sunday, MI will be on the road in the second match of the day at Chennai.

However, five-time champions MI will be without their captain Hardik. For the unversed, Hardik was suspended for one match after MI’s last group stage match of IPL 2024 against Lucknow Super Giants. He was also fined Rs 30 lakh for maintaining a slow over rate.

“Hardik Pandya, the Mumbai Indians captain, has been fined after his team maintained a slow over rate during their IPL 2024 match against Lucknow Super Giants at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on May 17,” an official IPL statement had said.

“As it was his team’s third offence of the season under the IPL’s Code of Conduct relating to minimum over rate offences, Pandya was fined Rs 30 lakh and banned from playing the team’s next match,” it added.

After serving the ban against CSK, Hardik will be back for the franchise’s second match against Gujarat Titans on March 29.

In Hardik’s absence, the likes of Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah are all in contention to lead MI against CSK.

Rohit was sacked as skipper by Mumbai, replacing him with Hardik ahead of IPL 2024. Hardik was booed by MI fans, both at Wankhede and away from home during matches.

The two were reported to have rift, and this did affect the team dynamics as MI finished bottom of the pile. 

However, that issue is in past and the two will be united as ever in MI’s bid for a sixth IPL title this year.

MI full squad: 

Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Rohit Sharma, Tilak Varma, Trent Boult, Naman Dhir, Robin Minz, Karn Sharma Ryan Rickelton, Deepak Chahar, Allah Ghazanfar, Will Jacks, Ashwani Kumar, Mitchell Santner, Reece Topley, Krishnan Shrijith, Raj Angad Bawa, Satyanarayana Raju, Bevon Jacobs, Arjun Tendulkar, Lizaad Williams, Vignesh Puthur.

India skipper Suryakumar Yadav lauded his team’s resilience after a disastrous start, crediting Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube for steering the innings to a competitive total in their 15-run victory over England in the fourth T20I here on Friday. India found themselves reeling at 12/3 in the second over, but Pandya and Dube stabilised the innings, guiding the hosts to 181/9. “We didn’t want to go back after 12/3. Three wickets in one over was too much. The way Hardik and Dube showed their experience was great,” Suryakumar said after India’s 15-run win.

Highlighting India’s intent, the India skipper said: “This is one thing we’ve been talking about — expressing yourself and batting the same way as in the nets. I think we are moving in the right direction.” Dube, however, was struck on the helmet in the final over and was substituted, paving the way for Harshit Rana’s unexpected yet dream T20I debut.

“I knew we could control the game after the powerplay. We picked a few wickets. Post drinks, Harshit Rana came in as the third seamer and delivered,” Suryakumar said.

Rana seized the moment with a stellar three-wicket haul.

“It is still a dream debut for me. When Dube came back, after two overs I was informed I will be the concussion substitute,” Rana said.

The young pacer revealed he had been preparing for this opportunity long before the series.

“I have been preparing for a while, not just for this series. I have been waiting for this moment [his debut] to prove myself. When I got the chance, I did not think of the circumstances and just thought about delivering. I have experience of bowling at the death [for KKR in the IPL] and relied on that,” Rana said.

England skipper Jos Buttler lamented his team’s missed opportunity after a strong start, admitting they failed to capitalize on the early breakthroughs.

“We started brilliantly, taking wickets in the powerplay and we were in a great position at the end of the batting powerplay. We should have gone onto win the game.

He acknowledged England’s key lapses, including a costly dropped catch.

“…We dropped Dube first ball and he went to play a really good innings. With the bat, we were in a fantastic position and lost a couple of key wickets.” 

Ravi Bishnoi (3-28) and debutant Harshit Rana (3-33) claimed three wickets each as India beat England by 15 runs in the fourth T20I at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune on Friday. India thus took an unbeatable 3-1 lead and sealed the series with the last T20I scheduled to be played at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday. India came back after losing the third T20I in Rajkot. The hosts had started by winning the first two T20Is in Kolkata and Chennai.

Earlier, Hardik Pandya (53) and Shivam Dube (53) produced a counter-attacking partnership to rescue India from a precarious position and push them to a competitive 181/9 after Saqib Mahmood’s (3 for 35).

Phil Salt and Ben Duckett came out with an aggressive mindset, making full use of the Power-play. Facing Arshdeep Singh in the opening over, Salt drove the ball elegantly down the ground, picking up two boundaries to get England going. Arshdeep, who had pitched the ball up looking for swing, found no real movement, and Salt was quick to capitalise. With Ben Duckett also making a charge, England’s innings gathered pace rapidly. He got off the mark with a fortunate edge past the keeper before opening up with well-placed flicks and drives.

Arshdeep, who had been India’s go-to bowler in the early overs, struggled to contain the left-hander, conceding three consecutive boundaries in his second over. The ball was coming onto the bat nicely, in stark contrast to the first innings, where India had struggled against England’s high pace.

The introduction of spin, however, did little to slow down England at first. Varun Chakravarthy was brought on early to change the tempo, but Duckett swept and reverse-swept him for quick runs, as England raced to 53/0 in five overs. Axar Patel was next, but Duckett showed no signs of slowing down, unleashing back-to-back reverse sweeps, including a towering six, taking England to 62/0 at the end of the Power-play.

Just when England seemed in complete control, India turned the tide. Ravi Bishnoi, brought on for the final over of the Power-play, provided the much-needed breakthrough, forcing Duckett into a miscued shot, which looped up to Suryakumar Yadav at mid-off. Duckett had blazed his way to 39 off just 19 balls with seven fours and a six, but his dismissal shifted the momentum back to India.

With India sensing an opening, Axar Patel delivered another crucial blow in the very next over. Phil Salt, who had been steadily accumulating runs, attempted to give himself room and drive through the covers, but Axar slid one in quickly, keeping it low and skidding through to crash into the stumps. Salt departed for 23 off 21 balls, and suddenly, England had lost two wickets in the span of six balls.

With England suddenly losing momentum, their in-form skipper Jos Buttler walked in, hoping to stabilise the innings. However, Ravi Bishnoi struck again, this time with a well-disguised leg-spinner that bounced slightly more than Buttler expected. The England captain could only manage a faint edge, and Harshit Rana at short third took an easy catch. Buttler, the key to England’s chase, was gone for just 2 off 3 balls, and England slumped to 67/3 in eight overs.

With three wickets lost in quick succession, Harry Brook and Liam Livingstone were tasked with rebuilding the innings. They played cautiously against India’s spinners, ensuring no further setbacks. Bishnoi, Axar, and Chakravarthy continued to apply pressure, limiting England’s scoring options. Just eight runs came off the 9th over, and at the 10-over mark, England reached 86/3, with the required run rate creeping up.

However, it was Mahmood who stole the show, registering a historic triple-wicket maiden, the first-ever in men’s T20 internationals. Sanju Samson (1), Tilak Varma (0), and Suryakumar Yadav (0) all fell in quick succession, leaving India reeling at 12/3 in two overs. Samson guided a rising delivery straight to deep square leg, Varma sliced his first ball to Archer at short third, and Suryakumar chipped a catch to short mid-wicket, playing right into England’s well-set trap.

With India at 98/5 in 13 overs, the onus was on Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube to steady the innings and provide a strong finish. The duo stitched together an 88-run partnership to force India to a competitive total. With England needing 96 runs off the final 10 overs to chase down India’s 182-run target, the visitors were still in contention despite losing three early wickets.

Just as Brook began to settle in, an unexpected twist occurred — Suryakumar Yadav introduced Harshit Rana, who came in as a substitute for Shivam Dube, who suffered a concussion in the final over of India’s innings. The decision sparked debate, reminiscent of India’s controversial substitution of Yuzvendra Chahal for Ravindra Jadeja against Australia in 2020. While Dube was an all-rounder, Rana’s inclusion brought in an extra fast-bowling option, tilting the balance of the game further in India’s favour.

Rana wasted no time making an impact. Bowling at speeds touching 150 kmph, he rattled England’s middle order. His very first over saw Liam Livingstone edge one behind Sanju Samson, departing for 9 off 13 balls. England slipped to 99/4 in 12 overs and were suddenly losing all momentum in their chase. Brook, however, remained England’s best hope. Enjoying pace on the ball, he took on Rana, finding gaps and scoring freely. Commentator Nick Knight noted that India’s decision to introduce Rana could backfire, as Brook thrived against fast bowling and might have struggled more against Dube’s slower variations. Brook seemed to prove Knight right, as he powered a boundary to deep mid-wicket off Chakravarthy, keeping England in the hunt.

Just when England looked like regaining momentum, Chakravarthy struck twice in quick succession. Brook, who had just reached his fifty off 26 balls, attempted a cheeky scoop shot but only managed to lob a simple catch to Arshdeep Singh at short fine-leg. Brook departed for 51, leaving England at 133/5 in 15 overs.

Two balls later, Brydon Carse attempted a slog-sweep but misjudged the spin, top-edging a catch to Arshdeep again. Carse was gone for a duck, and in the span of a few deliveries, England had collapsed to 133/6. Chakravarthy, finishing his spell with figures of 4-0-28-2, had once again turned the game in India’s favour. With the match slipping away, England’s lower order needed to step up. Jamie Overton and Jacob Bethell were England’s last real hopes, but the chase was becoming steeper with every dot ball.

Sensing an opportunity, Rana cleverly slowed one down, luring Bethell into an ambitious lofted shot. The timing wasn’t right, and Suryakumar Yadav at long-on comfortably completed the catch. Bethell walked back for 6 off 9 balls, leaving England tottering at 140/7 in 16 overs. In the very next over Bishnoi, in his fourth over, cleaned up Jofra Archer with a ripper of a delivery, inside edge straight into the stumps. Bishnoi finished with 3/28. Rana in his last over claimed the wicket of Overton after getting smoked for a four and ended his debut with 3 for 33.

Arshdeep claimed the last wicket of Saqib Mahmood as India defeated England by 15 runs to seal the five-match series 3-1, making the last T2OI scheduled at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai inconsequential.

Suryakumar Yadav has one of the most inspiring stories in Indian cricket, rising from making his national team debut at age 30 to being named India’s T20I captain just three years later. In the latest episode of Deep Point on Star Sports, experts Sanjay Manjrekar and Sanjay Bangar analysed Yadav’s status as India’s best T20I batter and what he can achieve as India’s T20I captain. Sanjay Manjrekar wholeheartedly backed SKY as the best T20I batter in India, highlighting his incredible rise through the IPL to the player he is today. 

“This has taken a lot of time; it didn’t happen in just two years. He used to play for KKR (Kolkata Knight Riders), and I remember he had just two shots. Predictably, he would play the flick shot on the first ball of the innings, no matter where it landed. The growth of Suryakumar Yadav is incredible. Who would have predicted, when he was playing lower down the order for KKR, that he would go on to become the best T20I batter in the world?”

Sanjay Bangar explained how the 34-year-old batter’s ability is enhanced by his imagination and adaptability. 

“The method to this madness is proactiveness. It takes a lot of imagination, courage, and the ability to anticipate where the ball is coming from before it’s even bowled-that’s his hallmark. During the Asia Cup, we analysed how, when bowlers try to adjust their deliveries after Surya gets into position, he still has another option to punish them. That’s his special ability. There are many players who can hit across 360 degrees, but his ability to abandon his plan and react to a delivery is amazing.”

Regarding Yadav’s captaincy, Bangar admitted his surprise at Hardik Pandya being dropped but suggested that Yadav might be the ideal leader for India’s next generation of T20 talent. 

“Honestly, I was shocked that he was elevated to captain because, until that point, Hardik Pandya was the captain-designate. The way he handled that transition shows his great man-management skills. It’s still early days, but he’s the best fit for this young squad after the retirements of Jadeja, Kohli, and Rohit. That’s a big plus-he can be the leader of this new generation, someone who is one among them.”

India have secured 16 wins and four losses in T20Is under Suryakumar Yadav’s captaincy. His status as the team’s best player is what makes Manjrekar believe he is the perfect choice to continue leading them. “He has a great temperament. Throughout his career, you can see that after a strong innings, he always has a smile during his interviews. He’s light-hearted. Just like Bumrah for India’s Test captaincy, SKY is by far the best player on this T20I team.”

Manjrekar also emphasized the importance of strong coaching support for Yadav’s captaincy.

“In T20Is, if you have a great coach working alongside the captain, because you need outside inputs, I think he could be a great long-term leader. I’m very excited to see if he has any say in team selection because I’m looking forward to watching players like Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson, Rinku Singh making a comeback, and even Varun Chakravarthy getting a chance.”

Sanju Samson’s technical weaknesses against express pace along with Rinku Singh’s dip in form and fitness issues will be a concern for India when they take on a resurgent England in the fourth T20 International on Friday. Having fluffed their chances in the third T20I in Rajkot, the penultimate game of the five-match series gives the hosts another opportunity to seal the series going into the final game in Mumbai on February 2. Suryakumar Yadav’s men won the first two games in Kolkata and Chennai.

Samson, the maverick keeper-batter from Kerala, whose sympathetic and loyal fan base never fails to remind everyone of the limited chances he has got, started the T20I season with three hundreds against Bangladesh and South Africa prior to the ongoing series.

In the current rubber, he has had scores of 26, 5 and 3 and it is not these numbers that are concerning. In T20 cricket, if one factors in risk, there would always be lot of less profitable days at the office considering the kind of strokes batters play these days.

But in case of Samson, what is of concern is his palpable discomfort against anything bowled above 145 clicks.

Against Bangladesh at home, he faced Taskin Ahmed, Tanzim Hasan Shakib while in South Africa Andile Simelane and Lutho Sipamla were among the bowlers.

These are not exactly intimidating fast bowlers and he rightfully took them to the cleaners. These are bowlers who fire in between 130 to 140 clicks and can be hit through the line on flat decks.

However, Jofra Archer and Mark Wood are different beasts, bowling between 145 kmph to 155 kmph and that pace is creating problems for Samson.

During all three games, the Kerala batter couldn’t even get his bat down as deliveries would thud into Phil Salt’s gloves.

The hard lengths and steep bounce are creating a problem and even on batting shirt-fronts, it is not easy to hit through the line if one doesn’t have proper technique or doesn’t regularly face this quality of fast bowling.

Samson is one of head coach Gautam Gambhir’s favourites and it is expected that he would be persisted with going into next year’s T20 World Cup.

But his technical issues need to be sorted out at the earliest by Gambhir, new batting coach Sitanshu Kotak and the himself.

Dhruv Jurel looks a misfit

Rinku Singh’s back spasms forced the team management to try Dhruv Jurel in the No.7 position but he has looked out of place in this particular format unlike Test cricket.

Rinku was rested for the first two games but assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate declared the batter fit for Friday’s contest in the pre-match press conference.

But even Rinku, after a glorious start to his T20I career, has gone off the rails.

When Gambhir became Kolkata Knikght Riders mentor, Rinku got to play a total of 70 odd balls in the 2024 IPL. As a result, he couldn’t make it to the T20 World Cup as Shivam Dube, with his bowling ability, was considered better in the Americas.

The Indian middle order hasn’t exactly played England spinner Adil Rashid well so far and with Dube back in the mix, will Gambhir take a chance with him? Looks unlikely as given the pace of England speedsters even the burly Mumbaikar would be ill at ease.

The third option is Ramandeep Singh, who also looks exciting as a finisher and is a better seamer than Dube. But even he is untested against quality pace attack.

Will Arshdeep be back in order to seal the series

Mohammed Shami needs a lot of bowling in match situations and the Rajkot game was a decent restart to his international career without being spectacular.

While a bilateral series win counts for little, Gambhir wouldn’t like the ignominy of being the first coach under whom India lost a home T20I series against England.

Hence, it would be interesting if Arshdeep Singh, India’s best T20I bowler in absence of Jasprit Bumrah is in line to come back and give some breakthroughs in the Powerplay overs.

Teams (from): India: Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Tilak Varma, Axar Patel, Hardik Pandya, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Shami, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube, Ramandeep Singh, Harshit Rana.

England: Jos Buttler (captain), Phil Salt (wk), Ben Duckett, Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Jamie Smith (wk), Adil Rashid, Brydon Carse, Jamie Overton, Gus Atkinson, Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, Mark Wood, Jacob Bethell, Saqib Mahmood.

Match Starts at 7 pm IST.

File image of Suryakumar Yadav from the India vs England T20I series© AFP