Cricket

India's women's cricket team will host West Indies and Ireland for white-ball tours in December and January as part of the 2022-2025 Future Tours Programme (FTP). The series will provide valuable preparation for India ahead of the ODI World Cup, which they will host next year.West Indies will tour India for three T20Is in Navi Mumbai and three ODIs in Vadodara in December. The T20Is are scheduled for December 15, 17, and 19, followed by the ODIs on December 22, 24, and 27. The ODI series will be part of the ICC Women's Championship.Ireland will make their first-ever bilateral tour of India in January 2025, playing three ODIs in Rajkot. The matches are set for January 10, 12, and 15, and will also be part of the ICC Women's Championship.India has been preparing for the ODI World Cup with a series of home matches. They recently defeated New Zealand 2-1 in an ODI series in Ahmedabad and will face Australia in three ODIs in December before the West Indies tour.India last played in Vadodara in 2019, while Rajkot will host India women after a 14-year gap. West Indies last played a white-ball series in India in 2016, winning the T20Is 3-0 but losing the ODIs 0-3. Ireland has lost all 12 ODIs they have played against India, with their last meeting coming in the 2023 T20 World Cup, which India won by five runs.The upcoming series will provide India with an opportunity to fine-tune their preparations for the ODI World Cup, while West Indies and Ireland will be looking to gain valuable experience against a top-ranked team.

South Africa and India faced off in the third T20I of their series at SuperSport Park in Centurion, with the series tied at 1-1. South Africa captain Aiden Markram won the toss for the third consecutive time and opted to chase, a decision that was met with approval from India captain Suryakumar Yadav, who would have also chosen to bat first on the pitch that promised runs.Both teams made changes to their lineups. South Africa brought in Lutho Sipamla, a top performer in the recent CSA domestic T20, to replace legspinner Nqaba Peter, leaving them with only one specialist spinner in Keshav Maharaj. India, on the other hand, handed a debut to Ramandeep Singh, a hard-hitting all-rounder, in place of Avesh Khan.The weather conditions were favorable for play, with no rain expected until later in the evening.South Africa:1. Ryan Rickelton (wk)2. Reeza Hendricks3. Aiden Markram (capt)4. Tristan Stubbs5. Heinrich Klaasen6. David Miller7. Marco Jansen8. Andile Simelane9. Gerald Coetzee10. Keshav Maharaj11. Lutho SipamlaIndia:1. Sanju Samson (wk)2. Abhishek Sharma3. Suryakumar Yadav (capt)4. Tilak Varma5. Hardik Pandya6. Rinku Singh7. Ramandeep Singh8. Axar Patel9. Arshdeep Singh10. Ravi Bishnoi11. Varun Chakravarthy

Imrul Kayes, the veteran Bangladeshi opener, has announced his retirement from Test and first-class cricket. The 34-year-old made the emotional announcement in a video message on his Facebook page, stating that his last red-ball match will be Khulna Division's National Cricket League (NCL) match against Dhaka Division at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka next week.Kayes' Test career spanned 39 matches, with his last appearance coming in the historic day-night Test against India at Eden Gardens in 2019. Batting primarily at the top of the order, he amassed 1797 runs at an average of 24.28, including three centuries and four fifties.However, Kayes' Test career was most notable for his prolific opening partnership with Tamim Iqbal. Together, they formed Bangladesh's most successful opening pair, accumulating 2336 runs in 53 innings. Their average first-wicket partnership of 45.80 is also the best among any Bangladesh opening pair.Kayes and Iqbal shared four century stands, including a memorable 185-run partnership at Lord's in 2010 and a world-record 312 against Pakistan in Khulna in 2015. The latter partnership helped Bangladesh save the Test match after conceding a 296-run first-innings lead, and remains the only 300-plus opening stand in the third or fourth innings of a Test match.Kayes' first-class career has also been impressive, with the left-hander just 70 runs short of the 8000-run mark. He will have the opportunity to reach this milestone in his farewell game in Mirpur, which begins on November 16.Kayes' retirement marks the end of an era for Bangladesh cricket. He was a key member of the team that achieved Test status in 2000 and played a significant role in their subsequent rise in the international arena. His contributions to Bangladesh cricket will be fondly remembered by fans and players alike.

RCB Should Target Rishabh Pant in IPL 2025 Mega Auction, Suggests Aakash ChopraFormer India opener Aakash Chopra has strongly advocated for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) to make a concerted effort to acquire wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant in the upcoming IPL 2025 mega auction. Chopra believes that Pant's aggressive batting style and suitability to the M Chinnaswamy Stadium's short boundaries make him an ideal fit for RCB."Will you go towards Rishabh Pant? In my opinion, they should go towards him. Again a small ground, it will suit him as well. Please go for him even if you have to go till Rs 25 crore," Chopra emphasized on his YouTube channel.RCB has retained only three players ahead of the auction: Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, and Yash Dayal. This leaves them with a substantial budget of Rs 83 crore to build a formidable squad. Chopra suggests that RCB should not hesitate to splurge on Pant, even if it means spending a significant portion of their budget.If RCB decides that Pant is not the right fit, Chopra proposes considering KL Rahul instead. Rahul's familiarity with the local conditions as a "local boy" and his preference for small grounds and flat pitches make him a viable alternative."If you feel you don't need Rishabh Pant and need KL Rahul because he is a local boy and knows this ground as well, he will also like the small ground and flat pitch. So you can also try to bring him with you," Chopra added.RCB may not pursue Shreyas Iyer as aggressively, according to Chopra, as they may leave him for Delhi to target. Pant, Rahul, and Iyer are expected to be highly sought-after players in the auction, having been released by their respective franchises.

Ramandeep Singh, a 27-year-old cricketer from Punjab, India, has earned his maiden call-up to the Indian T20 cricket team. The all-rounder was presented with his first Indian cap by Hardik Pandya and will join the team for the third and final match against South Africa.Singh's selection is a testament to his impressive performances in recent tournaments. In the ACC Men's T20 Asia Cup for India A, he showcased his batting prowess with a blistering 64 runs off 34 balls in the semi-final against Afghanistan. His consistent performances in first-class cricket have also caught the attention of the selectors.Singh has played for two Indian Premier League (IPL) teams: Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders. He is currently on the roster of Kolkata Knight Riders for the 2025 IPL season. During the 2024 IPL season, he played in nine games for Kolkata Knight Riders, scoring 125 runs at a strike rate of 201.61.Singh's inclusion in the Indian team comes as a replacement for Avesh Khan. He will be expected to contribute with both bat and ball, given his all-round abilities.In the recent Emerging Teams Asia Cup tournament, Singh represented India's A team in four matches, scoring 94 runs and taking three wickets. His quickfire 66 runs in the semi-final against Afghanistan was a standout performance. He also contributed with 13 runs against Oman and 17 runs against Shaheen. As a bowler, he claimed three wickets over three innings.Singh's selection is a recognition of his hard work and dedication. He has consistently performed at the domestic level and has now earned his chance to represent his country at the highest level.

Karnataka Dominates Uttar Pradesh on Day 1 of Ranji Trophy ClashLucknow, November 13: Karnataka bowlers, led by V. Koushik, put on a stellar performance to dismantle Uttar Pradesh (UP) for a mere 89 runs on the opening day of their Ranji Trophy Group-C encounter at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium. The bowlers' brilliance set the stage for Karnataka's batters to take a 38-run first-innings lead.The morning haze enveloped the venue, creating a challenging environment for UP's batters. Koushik and Vidyadhar Patil exploited the conditions to reduce the hosts to five for three within the first five overs. Vidyadhar drew first blood, dismissing Abhishek Goswami, while Koushik induced Madhav Kaushik's outside edge and castled skipper Aryan Juyal in consecutive deliveries.Debutant Rituraj Sharma and Aaditya Sharma briefly resisted the pacers, but the latter was strangled down leg. Debutant fast bowler Yashovardhan Parantap joined the party, dismissing Rituraj with an angled delivery. Koushik completed his fifer with Sameer Rizvi edging behind, while the lower-order offered little resistance.Karnataka's batting faced a similar fate initially, with Nikin Jose and R. Smaran falling cheaply to Aaqib Khan. However, debutant Krishnan Shrijith played a composed knock under pressure, adding 48 runs with skipper Mayank Agarwal. Shrijith held firm amidst some poor shot-making, including Manish Pandey's tame dismissal.At the close of play, Karnataka had reached 127 for five, with Shrijith unbeaten on 68. The visitors will look to extend their lead on Day 2 and put pressure on UP.

On a gloomy day in the national capital, where play was affected by smog in the morning and bad light in the evening, Jharkhand opener Sharandeep Singh exhibited ample patience and a tight defence to compile an unbeaten 64. He consumed 183 balls, making for a slow-moving opening day between Delhi and Jharkhand in a Group D Ranji Trophy tie at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Wednesday.At stumps, the visitor reached 136 for three in the 55 overs that were possible. Jharkhand could have been in a stronger position had left-hand batter Utkarsh Singh not flicked a half-volley on leg stump from Siddhant Sharma to Yash Dhull at square leg in the final session. He had batted well until then to make 46.On a hazy morning that led to the start of play being delayed by two hours, Delhi elected to bowl. With Simarjeet Singh back from injury and Money Grewal drafted into the playing XI, the host was relying on its pacers to exploit a pitch with a smattering of grass.BreakthroughWhile Siddhant and Simarjeet shared the new ball, Grewal managed to provide the opening breakthrough early in his first spell. Having denied Nazim a run off his bowling for 15 deliveries, Grewal was rewarded when he pitched the ball full and invited a lavish drive, inducing an outside edge that was snaffled by Himmat Singh at second slip.Before lunch, Simarjeet was perhaps a tad guilty of bowling a wider line that allowed the batters to leave at their will. When he went full and straight to Aryaman Sen in the fourth over after the 40-minute interval, the ball rattled the stumps for his lone wicket.Sharandeep and Utkarsh were able to lend some solidity to the innings by stitching together a 93-run stand in 30.2 overs for the third wicket. Utkarsh drove a few times with authority through cover point and mid-off against the pacers before squandering it away with a loose shot.

Mohammed Shami's much-anticipated return to competitive cricket after a year-long absence was met with challenges as Bengal faced Madhya Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy Elite Group-C match at the Holkar Stadium in Indore.On a greenish pitch with moisture, Madhya Pradesh elected to field and capitalized on the conditions. Aryan Pandey and Kulwant Khejroliya's four-wicket hauls restricted Bengal to a modest 228 in the first innings.Bengal's batting woes began early as Shuvam Dey was dismissed cheaply. Khejroliya then wreaked havoc, removing Sudip Gharami, Rohit Kumar, and Sudip Chatterjee in quick succession. Shahbaz Ahmed (92) and Anustup Majumdar (44) steadied the ship with a 96-run partnership, but Khejroliya broke the stand to dismiss Majumdar.Shahbaz played a rash shot and narrowly missed a century. In reply, Madhya Pradesh openers Subhransu Senapati (44*) and Rajat Patidar (41*) provided a solid start, taking their team to 103 for one at stumps.Shami, who underwent Achilles tendon surgery in February, bowled with good control but lacked rhythm. He finished with figures of 0-16 and 0-18 in his two spells.Bengal coach L.R. Shukla acknowledged the challenges Shami faced, saying, "It's never easy to come back from a surgery and bowl after a year. The more Shami plays, the better he will become."

Worcestershire County Cricket Club has bolstered its spin bowling department with the acquisition of Fateh Singh from Nottinghamshire on a three-year contract. The 20-year-old left-arm spinner impressed during a loan spell at New Road last summer, capturing 15 wickets in the One-Day Cup at an average of 24.13.Singh's performances in the One-Day Cup, including a career-best 4 for 52 against Somerset, earned him a first-class debut for Northamptonshire later in the season. A former England U19 international, Singh was part of the team that reached the final of the 2022 U19 ODI World Cup.Despite being contracted to Nottinghamshire until the end of 2025, the club agreed to facilitate Singh's move to Worcestershire to aid his development. The spinner had made only 12 appearances for Nottinghamshire, all in the One-Day Cup, and had been overtaken by 16-year-old off-spinner Farhan Ahmed.Worcestershire, who secured their Division One status with a sixth-place finish last season, will provide Singh with the opportunity to further his career. The club has a reputation for nurturing young talent, as evidenced by the success of Jake Libby, who has flourished since joining from Nottinghamshire.Singh expressed his delight at signing a long-term contract with Worcestershire, stating that he had a great experience with the club last summer. He is eager to continue his development and make an impact on the team.Worcestershire chief executive Ashley Giles hailed Singh's signing as a crucial step in building the squad. He emphasized the importance of strengthening the spin department, especially after the tragic passing of left-arm spinner Josh Baker at the start of the summer.The move reinforces Worcestershire's spin stocks, which were depleted by Baker's untimely demise. The club opted not to sign Amar Virdi, who had undertaken two loan spells at Worcestershire, following his release from Surrey.