With Virat Kohli pulling out of the first two Tests against England due to personal reasons, the Indian team will be without either of the trio of former captain, ex-vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane or Cheteshwar Pujara in a red-ball game for the country for the first time in 12 years.
Ajinkya Rahane, the former India vice-captain, is struggling for runs in the ongoing Ranji Trophy playing for Mumbai. Rahane, who is not in the scheme of things as far as the Indian team is concerned, hasn't done any good to his chances with two golden ducks in a row.
The Ajinkya Rahane-led Mumbai defeated Andhra by 10 wickets in their second game of the ongoing Ranji Trophy while playing at the Sharad Pawar Cricket Academy BKC in Mumbai.
With the upcoming five-match Test series against England in sight, Indian red-ball veterans Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteswhar Pujara, and in-form Shreyas Iyer are in focus in the ongoing Ranji Trophy 2024 round two fixtures starting on Friday.
Jaydev Unadkat-led Saurashtra kicked off their title defence by bowling out Jharkhand on just 142 runs in the Ranji Trophy 2024 opener in Rajkot and then Cheteshwar Pujara's 157* off 238 balls helped them score a total of 406/4 on Day 2.
The veteran Indian cricketer Ajinkya Rahane continues to lead Mumbai in the domestic competitions as the Mumbai Cricket Association announced a strong squad for the first two Ranji Trophy 2024 matches starting on January 5.
"So maybe somebody with Rahane's experience overseas... because Rahane overseas has been such a fine, fine player and maybe if he had been there today the story could have been completely different," Sunil Gavaskar said during commentary on the official broadcast.
Team India is gearing up to take on South Africa in a two-match Test series starting on December 26 in Centurion. The Rohit Sharma-led side last played a Test match in July against the West Indies and the squad has witnessed a few changes since then including a return for two World Cup stars.
The BCCI announced three different Team India squads for the multi-format tour of South Africa. This will be the first time that the Indian team will be playing a Test match since July and there have been some significant changes in the squad from the one that played in the West Indies.
India will play two Tests after the six white-ball matches on South Africa tour starting from December 26. The Rohit Sharma-led side last played red-ball cricket in July this year on the West Indies tour when they had won the two-match series 1-0.
With just a day remaining for the trade window and retention deadline to close ahead of the auction for the 2024 edition of the IPL, the rumours have been rife for probably the biggest trade in the 16-year history of the cash-rich league. Here's a look at how many captains have been traded before-
"He has experienced a hectic schedule in recent months, both in India and travelling with the national team," Leicestershire's director of cricket said.
Team India will not be playing any Tests until December 2023 now and the under performers on the West Indies tour are likely to get sidelined too.
IND vs WI: Ajinkya Rahane displayed a special act on Day 3 of the second Test vs West Indies. He has received a boost to his International career with the vice-captain's hat back on him.
Ajinkya Rahane was dropped from the team 18 months ago but made it to the squad for the WTC Final against Australia. After an impressive show across both innings, the veteran was appointed India's vice-captain for the ongoing WI tour. But will he be picked for South Africa tour?
Former India Test vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane has returned to the post following his exploits in the WTC final and would be eager to continue his form into the Test team.
Ajinkya Rahane hadn't played a Test for more than a year before WTC Final and has been made the vice-captain of the team for the upcoming West Indies tour.
Ajinkya Rahane made was the top-scorer for India in the first innings of the WTC Final against Australia. He made 89 runs in India's 296-run outing.
IND vs AUS: Ajinkya Rahane was a crucial cog in the wheel to cut down the massive first innings trail in the IND vs AUS WTC Final. He made 89 runs and was the top scorer for India.
Ajinkya Rahane scored 89 runs with the bat while Shardul Thakur hit 51 runs to take India to 296 runs in the first innings. In reply, Australia ended Day 3 at 123/4 in their second innings.
Top News
Latest News
