Author: Vaibhav Tripathi

In what was a fast-moving day at Anantapur’s Rural Development Trust Stadium. India A took a big lead of 222 runs and were in command. After bowling out India A for 290, India D could only post 183, despite Devdutt Padikkal’s stroke-filled 92. Having taken a lead of 107, India A’s openers came out with an aggressive approach. Both scored fifties before Mayank Agarwal lost his wicket in the final over of the day, leaving his team at 115/1 at stumps. It was another morning session dominated by the bowlers, as has often been the case in Anantapur. Harshit Rana…

At 93/5, it felt as though India A would be bowled out in a jiffy, but then in walked Shams Mulani, who bailed his team out with a gritty half-century on a day dominated by the India D bowlers at Anantapur’s Rural Development Trust Stadium A. Mulani was involved in two crucial partnerships that saved the day for India A. First, with Kumar Kushagra, he steadied the ship before Yash Dubey took a sharp reflex catch at gully to remove Kushagra. However, Mulani grew from strength to strength and formed the biggest partnership of the innings with fellow Mumbai player…

At a camp in Alur last year, before the Asia Cup and World Cup, a 21-year-old Manav Suthar wreaked havoc, troubling the likes of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav repeatedly. Those who were in the camp and saw this uncapped spinner outfoxing India’s best batters were amazed by his talent. Suthar entered the camp with a reputation as an emerging spinner known for his accuracy. In the camp, he generated drift and turn with the white ball, which caught everyone’s attention and raised curiosity about what he could do with the red ball. Fast forward to January this…

After losing their opening games of the Duleep Trophy 2024, both India A and India D will be looking for their first win as they face off at the Rural Development Trust Stadium in Anantapur. With the BCCI announcing the squad for the first Test between India and Bangladesh in Chennai, there has been a significant shake-up in the roster for the second round of the Duleep Trophy. While there will be only two changes in the India D squad – Axar Patel moves to national duties and Tushar Deshpande is injured – India A will be without five first-choice…

Navdeep Saini was playing for West Delhi Lions in this year’s Delhi Premier League when he received a call-up for the Duleep Trophy. With Mohammad Siraj falling ill, Saini was asked to join India B as a replacement player. This presented an opportunity for him to re-enter the selectors’ plans. After a seven-month hiatus from red-ball cricket, Saini had been planning to gradually ease back into action through white-ball games in the DPL. However, when he received a late call-up for the Duleep Trophy as Siraj’s replacement, he had to quickly regain his red-ball rhythm in Bengaluru. And he did…

As India D headed to lunch on Day 3, a few slumped shoulders began to show. With India C needing just 124 runs and having eight wickets in hand, it was going to take a remarkable comeback from India D to bowl out their opposition. Saransh Jain’s four wickets in the second session sparked a revival, offering a faint hope, but Abishek Porel’s resilience ensured India C comfortably chased down the target, wrapping up the match within three days. The victory earned India C six points, propelling them to the top of the points table.o After setting a target of…

The game hangs in the balance after yet another fascinating day of cricket in Anantapur. Riding on a fine half-century from Baba Indrajith, India C posted 168 in the first innings of their Duleep Trophy match against India D after, starting Day 2 on 91/4. After taking a lead of just four runs, India C were pushed on the back foot by quick half-centuries from Shreyas Iyer and Devdutt Padikkal. However, later in the day, Manav Suthar spun a web to leave India D at 206/8 at stumps, with the tweaker registering a five-wicket (5/30) haul. At the start…

Fourteen wickets fell as the quicker bowlers dominated proceedings on the first day of the Duleep Trophy match between India C and India D in Anantapur. After asked to bat first on a greenish pitch, India D posted 164. Axar Patel top-scored with 86. India C, in response, ended the day at 91/4, with Abishek Porel (32) and Baba Indrajith (15) remaining unbeaten at stumps. It was overcast in the morning when the match began, with enough grass and moisture on the wicket for the bowlers to exploit, and India C’s seamers capitalised effectively. Young Anshul Kamboj made an immediate…

The upcoming Duleep Trophy is set to be one of the most eagerly awaited domestic cricket tournaments in India, featuring four teams, 60 players, and more than two dozen Indian internationals across six matches. While the Duleep Trophy hasn’t always been the most star-studded red-ball competition in the past two decades, this year’s edition promises to change that perception. Kicking off India’s domestic cricket season, the tournament will bring together a mix of top domestic performers and experienced Indian internationals, forming highly competitive and star-studded squads. Among the 60 players participating in this year’s Duleep Trophy, many are uncapped, reflecting…

On a dry pitch, Sri Lanka opted to bat and, thanks to Avishka Fernando’s 96 and Kusal Mendis’ 59, managed to post the highest total of the series. It was 248. In pursuit of 249, India started strong with skipper Rohit Sharma leading the way. However, following a pattern seen through this series, India suffered a batting collapse, resulting in them being bowled out for 138 and losing the match by 100 runs. Dunith Wellalage starred with the ball for Sri Lanka, achieving career-best figures of 5/27. With this second consecutive win, Sri Lanka secured the series 2-0, marking their…