Author: Vaibhav Tripathi

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…

It was the same month, August, in 2017, when Akila Dananjaya was all over the Indian batting line-up, bagging a six-wicket haul. It seemed like Sri Lanka would win easily, but India managed to clinch it thanks to a match-winning partnership between MS Dhoni and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Fast forward to 2024, Dananjaya saw his compatriot Jeffrey Vandersay do the same, rattling the Indians with a six-fer, but this time the effort came in a winning cause. Batting second, India were cruising along, with skipper Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill adding 97 runs for the first wicket. What transpired next was…

In a thrilling game filled with twists and turns, Sri Lanka managed to secure a tie against India. With just one run needed and Shivam Dube on strike, this seemed unlikely. However, Charith Asalanka and his team didn’t give up. Asalanka successfully reviewed to trap Dube in front of the wickets, and then Arshdeep Singh was dismissed in similar fashion, sealing the dramatic outcome in the first ODI. India, who had been in control for most of the match, will be disappointed as none of their batters managed to finish the job. This is the second time an ODI between…

Sri Lanka needed nine runs off the last 12 balls. With one set batter in, they were favourites to win the game and should have. But then, the two part-timers, Rinku Singh and Suryakumar Yadav, scripted a remarkable turnaround, conceding just eight runs while taking four wickets between them to tie the game. The home team came out to bat in the Super Over and could only score TWO runs (yes, you read it right), thanks to some brilliant bowling from Washington Sundar. The visitors completed the game with five balls to spare. India had overs remaining for their frontline…

India beat Sri Lanka by seven wickets in the rain-curtailed second T20I in Pallekele. The visitors thus took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series. Hardik Pandya and Ravi Bishnoi were the architects of the win, with handy contributions from others. The third match will be played on Tuesday. Sent in to bat, Sri Lanka lost Kusal Mendis early to Arshdeep Singh, for the second time in two matches. Kusal Perera came in at No 3 and formed crucial half-century partnerships with Pathum Nissanka and Kamindu Mendis. Despite the initial setback, Sri Lanka’s momentum remained intact as Perera launched a…