Vishal Menon

One-time U-19 World Cup-winning pacer takes a five-for, gives Gujarat the edge

Himmat, Bidhuri strike half-centuries to rescue Delhi from a precarious position against Gujarat

India U19 vs Pakistan U19 (Ind vs Pak) U19 World Cup 2020 Playing XI: Predicting India's possible team line-up and the listing the challenges it faces based on the form book.

For third time on the bounce, New Zealand lose a contest they should’ve won; India clinch series 5-0.

Pitted against an impressive Karnataka seam attack, comprising Ambimanyu Mithun, Ronit More, and Prateek Jain, they could play out only 30 overs, folding up for a dismal 79, to set Karnataka a target of 51 runs on the final day's play.

Karnataka vs Railways: Though, Krishnappa Gowtham didn't finish the job but he did play a key role in Karnataka taking the all-important first innings lead over Railways during a tense final session.

On his part, Prateek has toiled hard to make his mark as a left-arm pacer. He has had a fairly decent stint with the Bijapur Bulls franchise at the Karnataka Premier League. However, breaking into Karnataka's heavy-duty first-class team proved to be an arduous task. 

In December 2019, Mahesh Rawat, the former Railways captain, was shown the door on grounds of indiscipline, while medium-pacer Anureet Singh was axed due to poor form.

This is the philosophy that has made NZ competitive despite being small players money-wise.

It's the ability of India's three-pronged pace attack - comprising Jasprit Bumrah, Shami and Navdeep Saini - to bowl them at will that proved to be the fundamental difference between the two teams.

Smith once again found himself amongst runs in the ODIs as well —notching up a commanding 131 in the series finale against India in Bangalore.

These days, whenever India’s second-most popular cricketer is at the crease, no total looks ungettable, and no score unachievable.

While there’s no denying that KL Rahul worked hard at his game in the interim, it’s his large friends’ circle in Bangalore, who would rally behind him and act as a support system.

Bapu Nadkarni, a 41-Test veteran, plied his trade in the 1950s and 60s, a period when Test cricket was a turgid affair. When asked about the secret behind his unrelenting accuracy, Nadkarni attributed it to his long, indefatigable sessions at the nets.

Chasing 211, the home side get stuck at 205/5 before umpires call off match due to poor light.

Madhya Pradesh captain scores 118 and stitches crucial partnerships to give team a chance to push for a dramatic win.

Harsh Tyagi, Dinesh Mor and Himanshu Sangwan, who represented the capital at U-19 level, are showcasing their talent after switching sides.

Those that had assembled at the Karnail Singh Stadium on Saturday, braving Delhi's winter morning chill, were treated to a superlative exhibition of swing and seam bowling.

Madhya Pradesh's strike bowler wanted to make sure that he remained fresh for the next four days. In many ways, Khan seems to be following in the footsteps of Team India fast bowlers who, in recent times, have preferred to give pre-match training sessions a miss.