As the Indian cricket team prepares for the upcoming pink-ball Test in Adelaide starting December 6, fast bowlers Akash Deep and Yash Dayal have shared their experiences and observations about the challenges and nuances of bowling with the pink ball. Reflecting on his experience, Akash Deep highlighted the unique characteristics of the pink ball compared to the traditional red ball. “It’s skidding, it’s difficult for the batters, it has got more bounce,” Akash explained in a video posted by BCCI on their official website.

“The main thing about this ball is that it remains new for a long time. Generally, what we see with the red ball is that it starts getting old after 5-6 overs,” he said.

Yash Dayal, who has been bowling to Indian batting stalwarts in the nets, shared his observations on the pink ball’s behaviour.

“What I felt bowling this ball in nets to Rohit (Sharma) bhaiyya and Virat (Kohli) bhaiyya is that it’s not swinging much,” Yash noted.

“You have to keep the seam position straight. If you pitch the ball in the right areas, then it might change directions,” he added.

The Indian team heads into this Test with renewed confidence, having secured a victory against Australia in the first Test in Perth. The memory of being bowled out for 36 in their last pink-ball Test against Australia will undoubtedly linger, but the team’s recent success adds a layer of optimism.

The insights from Akash Deep and Yash Dayal provide a glimpse into the team’s preparation and strategic considerations as they aim to tackle the pink-ball challenge and continue their winning momentum in the series.

In the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, India won the toss and elected to bat but managed only 150 runs. Nitish Kumar Reddy (41 off 59 balls, six fours, one six) and Rishabh Pant (37 off 78 balls, three fours, one six) added a crucial 48-run partnership for the sixth wicket. Josh Hazlewood (4/29) was Australia’s standout bowler, while Pat Cummins, Mitchell Marsh, and Mitchell Starc claimed two wickets each.

Australia’s response was dismal, collapsing to 79/9 before a late partnership between Mitchell Starc (26) and Alex Carey (21) took them to 104, conceding a 46-run lead. Jasprit Bumrah led India’s bowling with 5/30, while debutant Harshit Rana impressed with 3/48.

India dominated in the second innings. KL Rahul (77 off 176 balls, five fours) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (161 off 297 balls, 15 fours, three sixes) put on a 201-run opening stand. Virat Kohli’s unbeaten 100 (143 balls, eight fours, two sixes), supported by Washington Sundar (29 off 94 balls, one six) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (38* off 27 balls, three fours, two sixes), took India to 487/6 declared, setting Australia a target of 534.

Nathan Lyon (2/96) was Australia’s most effective bowler, while Cummins, Starc, and Hazlewood took a wicket each.

At stumps on Day 3, Australia were reeling at 12/3, with Bumrah taking two wickets and Mohammed Siraj one. On Day 4, valiant efforts from Travis Head (89 off 101 balls, eight fours) and Mitchell Marsh (47 off 67 balls, three fours, two sixes) couldn’t save Australia, as they were bowled out for 238, handing India a commanding 295-run victory.

Bumrah (3/42) and Siraj (3/51) starred in the second innings, with Washington Sundar taking two wickets and Nitish Kumar Reddy and Harshit Rana chipping in with one each.

Stand-in skipper Jasprit Bumrah was named ‘Player of the Match’ for his eight wickets in the game.

“Yash Dayal was originally supposed to play the A Test but was sent to South Africa. If Khaleel can’t bowl, then there was no point in keeping him back,” a BCCI source said.
| Photo Credit: Getty Images

Left-arm seam bowler Yash Dayal has been added to India’s reserve pacers’ list after Khaleel Ahmed had to be sent back home due to an unspecified niggle.

Dayal, who was added to the Test squad during the Bangladesh series, was in South Africa for the T20I series but didn’t play a single match.

He flew directly to Perth from Johannesburg after Khaleel developed a niggle and was unable to bowl in the nets.

The medical team advised the Rajasthan left-armer rest and hence it was decided that Dayal would fly in while Khaleel fly back home.

“It was a like-for-like replacement because the Indian team needs to do simulation for Mitchell Starc. Dayal was originally supposed to play the A Test but was sent to South Africa. If Khaleel can’t bowl, then there was no point in keeping him back,” a BCCI source privy to the development told PTI on Wednesday (November 20, 2024).

It is not clear whether Khaleel can play Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20 tournament matches before the auction, as he has been released by the Delhi Capitals and would like to enjoy a bidding war among franchises during the upcoming mega auctions.

Dayal has been retained by Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

On Tuesday (November 19, 2024), Yashasvi Jaiswal felt a jerk on his shoulder while batting, which needed medical attention.

However, much to the relief of the team, Jaiswal was back in the nets on Wednesday (November 20, 2024).

Yash Dayal was in South Africa for the T20I series but didn’t play a single match.© BCCI

With an unassailable 2-1 lead in the 4-match series, the Indian cricket team takes on hosts South Africa with the hopes of securing a historic series win. India did well to win two of the first three matches but South Africa would be keen to not let the tourists return home with the trophy. Though the Proteas can no longer with the series, they still have the hopes alive to get a 2-2 draw. For the match, however, India could hand debuts to Vijakumar Vyshak and Yash Dayal, both of whom have been warming the bench since the start of the series.

It was all-rounder Ramandeep Singh who earned his maiden T20I cap in the third match of the series, against South Africa. With India longer in the danger of losing the series, the management might think of handing two more maiden T20I caps.

India have used 12 out of their 15 players in the first three games and it would be interesting to see if one among the two uncapped pacers Yash Dayal or Vysakh Vijaykumar gets a debut cap in case the pitch warrants an extra specialist speedster. For Samson, he would like to forget that he is turning into Marco Jansen‘s ‘bunny’ after back-to-back failures.

In the final game, it wouldn’t be a bad option for skipper Surya to check on Ramandeep Singh’s steady medium pace as he can be an asset with multiple skills, including ability to field at all positions save keeping.

Centuries by Sanju Samson and Tilak Varma on either side of an inept batting performance has kept India’s nose ahead in the series and team would want a more collective batting effort to clinch it 3-1.

The Wanderers ‘Bull Ring’ has always been a happy hunting ground for India, where they won the 2007 T20 World Cup final against Pakistan.

Even during the previous T20I series a year back, skipper Suryakumar Yadav‘s last international hundred till date came at this very stadium and that too in a winning cause.

The Indian captain, who enjoys a staggering victory percentage of 81.25, having come up trumps in 13 out of the 16 matches, would like to do one better compared to the last series in the Rainbow Nation which had ended in a 1-1 draw with one game being washed out.

India’s Likely Playing XI vs South Africa, 4th T20I: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Suryakumar Yadav (C), Tilak Varma, Axar Patel, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Yash Dayal, Varun Chakaravarthy.

With PTI Inputs

Virat Kohli was one of the three retained players by Royal Challengers Bengaluru. While it was on expected line, his retained price turned heads. The former RCB captain was retained for Rs 21 crore. Top-order batter Rajat Patidar (INR 11 crore) and uncapped left-arm fast-bowler Yash Dayal (INR 5 crore) were the other ahead of IPL 2025. RCB chose not to retain their captain Faf du Plessis, all-rounders Glenn Maxwell and Will Jacks, as well as fast bowler Mohammed Siraj. In getting retained for Rs 21 crore, Kohli has achieved a major first

Virat Kohli is now the first Indian player in IPL to breach the Rs 20 crore-mark in IPL. Before this, Australia’s Pat Cummins (Rs 20.50 crore) and Mitchell Starc (Rs 24.75 crore) breached the Rs 20 crore mark. 

“I have retained for the three year cycle which starts next year. I am super excited. It’s been a special relationship which continues to grow stronger. At the end of the cycle, it will be 20 years. That in itself is a special feeling. I never thought I would play for so many years for one team,” Kohli said in a video. 

“.”

King Kohli expresses his feelings and aspirations for the upcoming IPL ahead of the Mega Auction… pic.twitter.com/aKZEv8mtYf

— Royal Challengers Bengaluru (@RCBTweets) October 31, 2024

“We’re all too aware of the need to establish a strong Indian core to our team going into the 2025 IPL season, and we feel that our retention decisions are a significant step in the right direction. It’s great to continue Virat’s lengthy association with RCB, I’m confident that a new group of players will benefit hugely from his inspirational and infectious energy, and his commitment to high standards,” said Mo Bobat, Director of Cricket at RCB.

. “It’s also great to secure both Rajat and Yash, two excellent players that offer relatively unique skills and abilities. In Yash’s case, as an uncapped player, he also represents outstanding financial value.”

“It’s always sad to release players, given the strength of relationships that are built and the many shared achievements and memories, and I wish all departing players well. As for us, we now commence our auction preparations having retained top Indian talent, whilst also giving ourselves both options and flexibility with our three remaining RTMs, and a healthy available purse. It should be fun!” added Bobat.

Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel and Yash Dayal were on Monday released from the Indian Test side to participate in the Irani Cup in Lucknow. The Irani Cup contest, between the Rest of the India side and the winner of the previous Ranji Trophy, Mumbai, will be played from Tuesday at the Ekana Cricket Stadium. “Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel and Yash Dayal have been released from India’s Test squad to participate in the #IraniCup, scheduled to commence tomorrow in Lucknow,” the BCCI said in a post in ‘X’. While former India captain Ajinkya Rahane will lead Mumbai, the Ranji Trophy winner of the 2023-24 season, India and Maharashtra batter Ruturaj Gaikwad will lead the Rest of the India squad.

Update: Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel and Yash Dayal have been released from India’s Test squad to participate in the #IraniCup, scheduled to commence tomorrow in Lucknow. pic.twitter.com/E0AsPuIVYX

— BCCI (@BCCI) September 30, 2024

Middle-order batter Sarfaraz will be linking up with the Mumbai side which will be missing his younger brother and key batter Musheer Khan, who is currently recovering from injuries sustained in a road accident last Saturday while traveling with their father and another person from Azamgarh to Lucknow.

Wicketkeeper-batter Jurel and uncapped left-arm fast bowler Dayal will be joining the ROI squad.

While announcing the ROI squad, the BCCI had informed that availability of these three players would be subjected to them not being involved in the second Test between India and Bangladesh.

Squads:

Mumbai: Ajinkya Rahane (c), Prithvi Shaw, Ayush Mhatre, Sarfaraz Khan, Shreyas Iyer, Siddhesh Lad, Suryansh Shedge, Hardik Tamore (wk), Siddhant Addhatrao (wk), Shams Mulani, Tanush Kotian, Himanshu Singh, Shardul Thakur, Mohit Avasthi, Mohammad Juned Khan, Royston Dias.

Rest of India squad: Ruturaj Gaikwad (C), Abhimanyu Easwaran (VC), Sai Sudharsan, Devdutt Padikkal, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Manav Suthar, Saransh Jain, Prasidh Krishna, Mukesh Kumar, Yash Dayal, Ricky Bhui, Shashwat Rawat, Khaleel Ahmed, Rahul Chahar.

As the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) continues to make the franchises wait for the retention policy ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 mega auction, franchises are working in the background to find perfect solutions for their respective squads. Reports have suggested that the BCCI is unlikely to allow the retention of more than 6 players ahead of the auction, including Right To Match, making it quite tricky for the 10 teams to decide their retention and release list.

The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), who went on an unreal run last season to make it to the playoffs, also have some tough calls to take before their finalise their retention list. The biggest of all, arguably, the decision whether to retain their skipper Faf du Plessis or not.

5 Players RCB are likely to retain ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction:

Virat Kohli: Undoubtedly the No. 1 pick for the franchise. Virat Kohli might have retired from T20 internationals but still has a lot to offer to his franchise. He was the top-scoring batter in the IPL 2024 season, with 741 runs to his name. There’s no way RCB would even think about letting him go.

Mohammed Siraj: Unarguably the finest pacer in the team for RCB, Siraj is one of the core members of the franchise, alongside Kohli. Though his performance last season was up to the mark, the franchise is still likely to show faith in him.

Yash Dayal: His arrival at RCB from Gujarat Titans had become a big talking point but Dayal proved the doubters wrong, proving to be an important asset in the RCB arsenal. Since the conclusion of the 2024 season, Dayal has gone on to impress even the national selectors, becoming a key next-gen star who could be in line to make his India debut soon.

Rajat Patidar: A solid middle-order batter, Rajat Patidar has been a revelation for RCB over the last few years. He is all but certain to keep his place in the roster, and doesn’t even face much competition from others in the squad for his spot.

Will Jacks: With Glenn Maxwell being off-coloured, Will Jacks is likely to partner Cameron Green for the two overseas spots in the team. Though, it might not be possible for RCB to keep both Green and Jacks in the retention list if they are to keep hold of Dayal. 

Likely to Miss Out:

Cameron Green: The Australian all-rounder is a rare commodity in the sport. Since his arrival at the franchise, Green hasn’t set the stage on fire. This is one of the reasons why RCB might decide to release him. 

Faf du Plessis: RCB might just decide to retain 5 players and assemble the rest of the squad in the auction. But, if they decide to retain a 6th player, Du Plessis faces competition from Green for the spot. 

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed on Tuesday that Sarfaraz Khan will be released to play for Mumbai in the Irani Cup 2024 if he is not included in the playing XI for the second Test match against Bangladesh starting Friday. There have been a lot of conversation regarding Sarfaraz’s future after he was not involved in the first Test match and BCCI have now provided a concrete answer. “Sarfaraz Khan who has been retained in the Team India squad for the 2nd Test, will be released to represent the Mumbai team subject to him not being involved in the second Test match against Bangladesh in Kanpur,” the BCCI release said.

Yash Dayal and Dhruv Jurel were also included in the Rest Of India squad but their participation will also depend on whether they play against Bangladesh.

“Dhruv Jurel and Yash Dayal have been selected in the Rest of India squad and their participation is subject to them not being involved in the second Test match against Bangladesh in Kanpur. The 2^nd Test will begin from 27^th September,” the media release further stated.

Ajinkya Rahane is all set to lead Ranji Trophy champions Mumbai in the upcoming Irani Cup game against Rest of India in Lucknow, which will also mark all-rounder Shardul Thakur‘s return to first-class cricket post surgery.

It is understood that all top players including Shreyas Iyer, Musheer Khan, Shams Mulani and Tanush Kotian are supposed to play the match.

According to PTI, Suryakumar Yadav, who is India’s T20 skipper, and all-rounder Shivam Dube, both of whom are automatic picks in the Indian T20 squad, won’t be playing the Irani Cup as they would have to report in Gwalior on October 3 for the T20I series starting October 6

Rest of India squad: Ruturaj Gaikwad (C), Abhimanyu Easwaran (VC), Sai Sudharsan, Devdutt Padikkal, Dhruv Jurel (WK)*, Ishan Kishan (WK), Manav Suthar, Saransh Jain, Prasidh Krishna, Mukesh Kumar, Yash Dayal*, Ricky Bhui, Shashwat Rawat, Khaleel Ahmed, Rahul Chahar

(With PTI inputs)

Yash Dayal recently revealed that dismissed MS Dhoni remains a bitter-sweet moment.© BCCI

Dinesh Karthik has vouched for young pacer Harshit Rana‘s selection in the Indian Test team following his breakout season with the ball in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Harshit picked 19 wickets in 13 matches to help Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) win their third IPL title earlier this year. The 22-year-old also impressed with the ball in the first round match of the Duleep Trophy, taking four wickets for India D in the first innings of the match against and India C. He took another four-fer in the second round match against India A.

However, Harshit didn’t find a place in India’s squad for the two-match Test series against Bangladesh. In a recent interaction, Karthik praised Harshit and said that the selectors could have considered him for the 1st Test against Bangladesh.

“I just thought, could there have been a spot for Harshit? I felt he bowled well and there is something really special about him. But they already have four good medium pacers,” Karthik said on Cricbuzz.

With India set to tour Australia later this year for five Tests, Karthik urged the selectors to pick him for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, adding that the youngster can make a difference with his bowling Down Under.

“Harshit Rana. He has special skills, a good backspin on the ball, kisses off the pitch, and is a very talented fast bowler. I really wish they take him to Australia because he will make a difference there,” he added.

The Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee has picked four seamers for the 1st Test against Bangladesh. Young pacers Akash Deep and Yash Dayal were added to the squad as back ups to Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj.

Indian squad for first Test against Bangladesh: Rohit Sharma (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), R Ashwin, R Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Akash Deep, Jasprit Bumrah, and Yash Dayal.