The Indian cricket team made their way into the ongoing first Test against New Zealand, reducing the trail to just 125 runs. Aside from witnessing Rachin Ravindra’s impeccable century, it was all going well for the hosts. However, an unfortunate dismissal of skipper Rohit Sharma and the disheartening last ball of the day, where Virat Kohli was out for 70, left a sour taste for every Indian cricket fan. Apart from this, we saw the resumption of the Ranji Trophy, where teams began Round 2. The likes of Sanju Samson and Rinku Singh returned for their respective teams. However, Ruturaj Gaikwad had an awful day. On the other hand, Ishan Kishan and Sai Sudharsan slammed superb tons. On that note, here are the six headline-worthy stories from October 18.
Ishan Kishan, Sai Sudharsan shine!
Sai Sudharsan and Ishan Kishan, both left-handed openers, have impressed in the Ranji Trophy, making strong cases for inclusion in India’s ‘A’ squad for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy series. Sudharsan’s double century for Tamil Nadu and Kishan’s century for Jharkhand highlight headlined the opening day of Ranji Trophy Round 2. This was Kishan’s second hundred after his return to red-ball cricket. He hit one in the Duleep Trophy.
Rinku Singh is back!
Uttar Pradesh, bolstered by the return of star batter Rinku Singh, faced Haryana in their second Elite Group C match of the Ranji Trophy. After a drawn encounter against Bengal in the season opener, UP will aim to secure a victory at the Sports Galaxy Ground. The team, led by Aryan Juyal, is confident in their ability to capitalize on Rinku Singh’s form and experience. Rinku had a smashing T20I series against Bangladesh. He played his last first-class game for UP back in February.
Sanju Samson returns for Kerala
Fresh off his scintillating 40-ball T20I century against Bangladesh in Hyderabad last week, Sanju Samson turned up for Kerala for the second round of Ranji Trophy. Samson didn’t led Kerala though as Sachin Baby continued to captain the side, as he did in the first round, in which Kerala registered an eight-wicket win against Punjab. Kerala is going head-to-head against Karnataka in Alur. Karnataka, meanwhile, has been without Prasidh Krishna, who is on reserves duty with the India squad that’s playing New Zealand. Both Rinku and Samson didn’t get an opporutnity to bat on Day 1.
Ruturaj Gaikwad flops
In a high-stakes Ranji Trophy clash between Maharashtra and Mumbai, the latter dominated the proceedings. Mumbai, bowling first, took a significant 94-run lead over their rivals. Maharashtra’s captain, Ruturaj Gaikwad, made a poor decision to bat first on a pitch that favored the pacers. The Mumbai bowlers, led by Shardul Thakur, Mohit Avasthi, and Royston Dias, bundled out Maharashtra for a paltry 126. In response, Mumbai’s Ayush Mhatre scored a brilliant century to put his team in a strong position. Gaikwad, who would’ve liked to hammer some runs before traveling to Australia, got out for a duck in the 1st over.
Slowest 9000 ft. Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli has achieved another remarkable milestone in Test cricket, becoming the fourth Indian to score 9000 runs in the format. He did it en route to his good-looking 70 in Bengaluru. After getting dismissed for a duck in the 1st innings, Kohli oozed confidence as he took down spinners and asserted his authority. The fastest Indian to complete 9,000 Test runs was the former India coach Rahul Dravid, who did it in 176 innings. However, Kohli has done it in 197 innings, making him the slowest to reach the figure amongst Indians.
New plans by PCB for Champions Trophy!
Despite uncertainty surrounding India’s participation in the ICC Champions Trophy due to security concerns, the Pakistan Cricket Board has proposed a solution. To address India’s reluctance to travel to Pakistan, the PCB has offered to assist in sending the Indian team back to either Chandigarh or New Delhi after their matches in Lahore. While India is originally scheduled to play all their group-stage matches in Lahore, the PCB is willing to accommodate India’s concerns by allowing the team to stay in a safer location. This move comes after India’s External Affairs Minister recently visited Pakistan, raising hopes for a positive outcome. However, the final decision on India’s participation remains on the Indian government’s shoulders.
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