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What he’s doing isn’t normal, particularly in the context of Sri Lankan cricket, but it’s happening right before our eyes

Andrew Fidel Fernando18-Sep-2024Look down that list of Kamindu Mendis scores, and these are the innings that stand out: 9 off 17 in Chattogram, 12 off 25 at Old Trafford, 4 off 5 at Lord’s.Eleven Test knocks in, these are the only innings in which he has failed to cross 50. Of the eight times he’s reached a half-century, he’s now made hundreds four times. If you have followed Sri Lanka’s men’s cricket over the last decade, it is fair to have questions. These may include, but are not limited to: How is he doing this? Is this even allowed for a Sri Lanka batter? How deep into a fever dream am I?Apologies to almost every other batter that has made a debut since 2010, but these kinds of starts just do not happen for Sri Lanka. Even the best-case scenarios go something like this: they arrive in a thunderstorm of domestic form, make an early impression with a back-against-the-wall fifty, or a century batting in the slipstream of a more experienced player, get a decent run in the side based on potential.Related

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And then, the slide: the average slips from the fifties to the 40s, then probably dives into the 30s. They get dropped from the team by the next set of selectors who have been drawn in by the newer, shinier thing. Our guy goes back to the Sri Lanka A team, or domestic cricket, and if they work hard enough, and a spot opens up, and the gods smile upon their work ethic, they come back to the highest level.It might be useful to think of the best young Sri Lanka Test batters here as following the insect lifecycle. They emerge from their domestic eggs ravenous as caterpillars, munching endlessly on opposition attacks. Soon, though, they are worked out in internationals and go into a cocoon stage, and becoming utterly vulnerable, a harsh interaction with a coach, or a rough few innings cutting their careers down, like a careless toddler with a stick, or a hungry lizard. The best we can hope for is that they emerge eventually as butterflies.Kamindu’s innings stood out for its composure on a spicy day-one deck•AFP/Getty ImagesDimuth Karunaratne, now Sri Lanka’s most prolific opening batter, went through such a harrowing run of form in 2016 that he was left out for many months. Dinesh Chandimal had such an atrocious run against the bouncer in 2014 that Sanath Jayasuriya – then the chief selector – banished him back to the A team in the middle of a Test series. Kusal Mendis, Lahiru Thirimanne, and then, going back a generation, even the likes of TM Dilshan and Thilan Samaraweera had long stints out of the Test side.Which is all to say that what Kamindu is doing right now is not strictly normal. It is not normal even in a global context. The number of batters who in your first proper year of Test cricket can crash 748 runs in 10 innings at an average of 83.11 and a strike rate of 65.32 – you’re already a one-percenter (Kamindu made 61 on debut against Australia two years ago, was then left out when the more experienced batter he replaced came back to the XI, and only got a decent run this year). Throw in the fact that you’re a graduate of the modern Sri Lanka domestic system, and you’re in rarer air still.On day one against New Zealand, the guy was imperious. He was troubled by the bounce of Will O’Rourke (if we’re giving out tips as to which cricketers whom you should get in on the ground floor on, there’s another one), as every batter who faced him was. But he was troubled least, flicking him off the pad, cutting him through point, when the battle was hot either side of lunch.By the evening, nearing his century, Kamindu was a becalmed negotiator of O’Rourke’s rockets, a Jedi master batting away questions from a feisty Padawan. At one point, he played out an O’Rourke maiden without appearing even mildly flustered.”These things happen. Bowlers bowl good spells. You have to wait for the balls you can hit. Don’t get complacent. Get back on top when the bowler tires. Take as few risks as you can in the meantime.”This is the kind of batting wisdom that very senior batters like to drop on the new entrants to the side, but which Kamindu, in his seventh Test, seems to know innately. On 21, he was dropped attempting a sweep, but did not appear even mildly unsettled, just as he remained composed after many plays-and-misses on a spicy day-one deck.Kamindu has two hundreds in Sylhet, a century in Manchester, and his first at home now, in Galle•AFP/Getty ImagesHe got to a hundred, his first in the city in which he was born, at the ground he has played many matches in for his school, and celebrated by raising his bat by its shoulder, rather than the handle – always a strong look. But there was not the exuberance that often accompanies this kind of milestone.It clearly meant a lot to him: “This is my hometown, and Richmond College, the school I went to, is here,” Kamindu said. “There was a thought swirling around my head that I had to hit a hundred here.”But this is about as much self-congratulation as he allows himself, because the answer soon strays deep into good-boy territory. “But to be honest you shouldn’t be happy with just a hundred as a batsman. You need to go further than that. Unfortunately I got out.”The ball he got out to on 114, by the way, was a monster. Ajaz Patel landed it about 70 cm outside off stump, in one of Tim Southee’s big footmarks, and it pounced at Kamindu to take the shoulder of the bat, the ball popping up to be gobbled up behind the wicketkeeper.This, in many ways, was the least surprising of his hundreds. It came at a venue he knows well, on the kind of surface he has grown up playing on, making heavy use of the sweep and the reverse which have brought him many runs right through the age-group levels, and in first-class cricket.What strikes you right now, though, is the streak. He has two hundreds in Sylhet, a century in Manchester, and his first at home now, in Galle. You can, and should, marvel at that technique – supremely organised on defence against pace and spin, but equally capable of manufacturing runs square of the wicket off balls others tend to block or leave.What needs to be watched right now, and which he has hinted at with his spectacular fielding all around the ground, his ambidextrous bowling which he swears he needs to improve, and the self-aware critiques he delivers with a mic in front of him, is whether, 809 runs into his career, he has that next gear – whether he is a player of extraordinary hunger.

How RCB silenced the crowd at a ground and against a team they’ve historically struggled

Alagappan Muthu29-Mar-20251:32

Rapid Fire Review: Is this RCB’s season?

For a little while on Friday, Josh Hazlewood held all the power and he had the good sense to use it indiscriminately. He produced two wickets and nine dots with his first 12 balls.For a little while, a little earlier, Rajat Patidar held all the power and he had the good sense to use it indiscriminately. He gave up all of his stumps to one of India’s best spin bowlers and did not care one bit. He had lined up Ravindra Jadeja. He felt in no danger whatsoever. That inside out cover drive went to the boundary like it was racing to meet an appointment.For a little while, a little later, Virat Kohli held all the power and he had the good sense to use it indiscriminately. He was walking over to his mark at long-on and a whole host of people – many of them wearing yellow – were going crazy for him. When he looked up, waved, touched his heart and raised his hand in a thumbs up, a crowd that is famously partisan started chanting his name.Related

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All of this happened at a ground and against a team that Royal Challengers Bengaluru have historically struggled. But by the end of the night, they conquered both the place and the opposition. They recorded the biggest win, in terms of runs, by a visiting team against Chennai Super Kings at MA Chidambaram stadium.Fast bowlers have had to stomach all manner of evils as T20 cricket has progressed, to the point that they have been forced to admit that for their own survival they had to give up the very thing that makes them so special. Their speed. Their ego. Their gravitational pull.The new ball, though, reminds them that they matter. And Hazlewood is so good with it. Seven of his 16 wickets at the 2023 ODI World Cup were the result of his work within the first 10 overs, including a peak performance in the semi-final where his first spell – 6-1-12-2 – left South Africa – a side that scored over 400 earlier in the tournament – at 28 for 4. By then, he was pushing through on adrenaline. At the start of this IPL, he said he was feeling fresh. In Chennai, he was pure fire. His dismissal of Ruturaj Gaikwad left CSK at 8 for 2 chasing 198. The entire ground was drowning in silence. Kohli, and one billion people, slumped the last time an Australian fast bowler did that. Here he (literally), and eight million people (figuratively), leapt on top of Hazlewood and took a piggy back ride.Josh Hazlewood gave RCB a cracking start with the ball•Associated PressThe war cry that always goes up at the Chinnaswamy stadium had found its way across the border. “Arr-Cee-Bee! Arr-Cee-Bee.” The enemy had breached the gates. Chepauk had fallen. And the worse was to come. When DRS revealed the spike on Deepak Hooda’s edge, several pockets of RCB fans celebrated it with not screams or claps but with something deeply synonymous with the CSK fan base – whistles.RCB have waited for 17 years to win against this team in this place and they were very aware of it.”Yeah, it was actually at breakfast,” Phil Salt, their newest member, said at the post-match press conference. “Some sort of an article came up on my phone, and it was all the things that have happened since RCB beat CSK here. [We had] a pretty light-hearted conversation. There wasn’t too much in it. But yeah, it’s a good win.”To beat the champions in their home ground, and then come here, which is a very, very tough place to come and get a win, we’re really happy with the fact that we’re sitting two games, four points, obviously with a boost in the net run rate as well. But we’re very aware of how good a side CSK are, especially at home, so we’re pleased.”It is not easy to spot a captain’s influence on a T20 game. But it is possible to spot what it does to their own game. In Patidar’s case, the extra responsibility is bringing the best out of him. In three previous matches at Chepauk, he had made only nine runs. He made nearly six times as many from just tonight – though did have the benefit of being dropped on 17.Patidar’s presence through much of the RCB innings prevented R Ashwin and Jadeja from finishing their full quota of overs. They bowled just five, and were taken for 59 runs. The dressing room was in awe of their leader.”I think he’s brilliant in all areas, if I’m being honest with you,” Salt said, “I think the batting is right up there with the best around. I’ve not seen anybody hit spin the way that he can. Obviously, he rode his luck a little bit tonight, but that’s the game. You get that in patches.”And then you come to his captaincy, and he’s a cool head and very calm under pressure. He’s got very good cricket brain. He thinks about the game very deeply. As I’ve already said, the way that he spun the bowlers around tonight to make sure that we’re keeping the pressure on at all times. There’s not much more you can ask for. There’s a reason he’s got a [Player] of the Match trophy as well.”RCB had done such a number on CSK at Chepauk that when the living embodiment of both this place and this team finally made his way out at No. 9, he took strike with a slip and short leg crowding him. At the end of the match, his coach felt compelled to get up close and personal with the pitch, a member of the ground staff in tow. Stephen Fleming’s next stop was the press conference. He left it in a huff with echoes of “Arr-Cee-Bee! Arr-Cee-Bee!” still ringing in the air.

After narrowly missing the playoffs last year, CSK have stocked up on spinners for IPL 2025

Deivarayan Muthu17-Mar-20254:24

Harbhajan on CSK’s overseas picks: ‘Rachin could play ahead of Conway’

Where Chennai Super Kings finished last yearFifth, with seven wins and losses, after Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) pipped them on net run-rate and qualified for the playoffs.What’s new in IPL 2025CSK don’t really do ‘new’ in a huge way. It’s their consistency in personnel and strategy that has been the bedrock for their success – five IPL titles, and two in the last four seasons. This year, some of their ‘new’ is also old. R Ashwin, Sam Curran and Vijay Shankar return to the franchise after several years away. Devon Conway, who had missed IPL 2024 with injury, was also bought back.CSK aren’t usually big on wristspin or mystery spin, but they splurged INR 10 crore this season on Noor Ahmad, the 20-year-old left-arm wristspinner from Afghanistan. He, along with Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, form a formidable spin attack when conditions warrant it.Rahul Tripathi is set to slot in at No.3, a role performed by Ajinkya Rahane and Robin Uthappa in the recent past.With the revival players like Rahane, Uthappa and Shivam Dube enjoyed at CSK, the franchise has developed a perception of being a place that can rehabilitate flagging IPL careers. This season, in addition to Tripathi and Vijay Shankar, they also acquired Shreyas Gopal, Kamlesh Nagarkoti and Deepak Hooda – five players whose IPL careers have been derailed in recent seasons.It’s been nine years since MS Dhoni kept wicket to R Ashwin at CSK•BCCILikely best XII1 Devon Conway/Rachin Ravindra*, 2 Ruturaj Gaikwad (capt), 3 Rahul Tripathi, 4 Deepak Hooda/Vijay Shankar, 5 Shivam Dube, 6 Sam Curran*, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 MS Dhoni (wk), 9 R Ashwin, 10 Noor Ahmad/Nathan Ellis*, 11 Matheesha Pathirana*, 12 Khaleel Ahmed
Full CSK squadBig questionCan MS Dhoni continue his six-hitting form this season?•BCCIWatch out forThe high bids for Ashwin and Noor – CSK also have Jadeja’s left-arm fingerspin, Gopal’s legspin, and Hooda’s part-time offspin – indicates a return to the famous spin-to-win strategy at Chepauk. In IPL 2024, the fast bowlers took 74 wickets while the spinners claimed only 25 at the venue. Even during the 2023 ODI World Cup, Chepauk offered sharp bounce and pace to the quicks, but that could change during IPL 2025.Curran is currently not part of England’s squads in any format, but a big IPL season will be hard to ignore for the selectors. Promoting Jadeja up the order didn’t produce the kind of output CSK hoped for in IPL 2024. Curran is better equipped to float in the batting line-up – he batted primarily at No.4 for Desert Vipers in the UAE’s ILT20 – and will also have a job to do with the ball in the end overs, especially at Chepauk.Along with Curran, CSK’s wealth of allrounders – Dube, Jadeja, Ashwin, Vijay Shankar, Hooda, Ravindra, Jamie Overton among others – means they will never be short of bowling options or batting depth.Key statsMS Dhoni had a strike rate of 220.54 in IPL 2024, his highest across all seasons. He clattered 161 off 73 balls, including 14 fours and 13 sixes. At the age of 43, will he be able to have a similar impact at the death this year?Since joining CSK in 2022, Dube has a strike rate of nearly 159 against spin – the highest among 13 batters against this variety of bowling for a minimum of 30 IPL innings.There are strong reasons why CSK see Khaleel Ahmed as a replacement for Deepak Chahar: in IPL 2024, he took eight wickets in 14 innings in the powerplay at an economy rate of 8.87 during this phase. Only Trent Boult, Mitchell Starc, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Vaibhav Arora picked up more powerplay wickets than Khaleel last season.Who’s out, who’s in doubt?TNPL star Gurjapneet Singh, who had missed the second phase of the Ranji Trophy with injury, is fit again, but with Curran and Khaleel being CSK’s frontline left-arm seamers, it’s hard to see another left-armer fit into their XI or XII. As of now, CSK have all players available for selection.

For the first time in the series, India’s fast bowlers bowled poorer lengths than England’s. But they regrouped quickly to script a turnaround

Sidharth Monga01-Aug-2025

Prasidh Krishna returned his best figures in Test cricket•Getty Images

“Have you ever felt nothing good was ever gonna happen to you?”At lunch on day two at The Oval, some of the younger players in the India team would have felt the way Chris Moltisanti did when he uttered this immortal line in . Chris is easily frustrated by circumstances, impatient to move up in the North Jersey mafia hierarchy, and even tries his hand at writing a movie script.This Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy has been an incredible learning curve for this young India team, a tour where they have had reason to believe that they haven’t been rewarded proportionately for their efforts. The situation at lunch on day two was India 2-1 behind in the series, 224 plays 109 for 1 in 16 overs, and yet another selection looking to blow in their face with just three fast bowlers in the side.Related

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For the first time in the series, India’s fast bowlers had bowled poorer lengths than England’s, hit off the good areas by the sensational and skilful opening pair of Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley. One more session of it, and the series would have been gone. India badly needed a Paulie “Walnuts” Gualtieri to say, as he did in response to the aforementioned question: “Yeah. So what?”Paulie is one of the most ruthless and trusted henchmen of the mob boss Tony Soprano. He is as psychopathic as the other wise guys but he is not given to feeling pity for himself. He is one of the more stoic wise guys. At The Oval, it had to be one or all of the India fast bowlers to step up and say “so what”. We will get up again and do the work. We will do the right things again. So what if the results haven’t gone our way?Mohammed Siraj is a good fit as Paulie. Never to be Tony Soprano, not even of the fast-bowling group, but happy to do the hard work and step up when needed. Sometimes Siraj even reckons he is proud of being given the responsibility and does better when he is, but he knows he is not quite his “Jassi “. He didn’t start off well, bowling ordinary lines with the new ball, conceding 31 in his first four overs, which is why he had to watch Akash Deep and Prasidh Krishna start off this crucial session.3:42

‘A workhorse, a man to have in the team’

Akash Deep had not had a great start himself. He had troubled Duckett, was all over him, hit him in the box, and nearly had him three times in his second over, but a reverse-pull for a six from Duckett completely rattled him. The next time Duckett charged at him, Akash Deep lost his length completely and was dismissively cut away. Duckett was almost telling him – twice in one over – that he was not quick enough. That he could leave the crease early and still have time to cut him if he changed the length.This was Bazball at its best, and India were on the back foot. The height difference between Crawley and Duckett meant India were getting cut and driven from the same lengths, which weren’t necessarily big errors. Prasidh looked the best of the three, but never forget that he was coming off the ignominy of having to sit out at Old Trafford for a bowler straight off the flight.It was this beleaguered trio that needed to say “so what” and get on with it. A session of 6 for 106 was as emphatic a “so what” as any. Being the wise guys, they needed to wise up a little first, which they did among themselves. Take your pick on who Silvio and Bobby – two of Soprano’s other lieutenants – are but this was a chat they needed to have to lift each other up. Prasidh said the three got into a corner and decided what had happened had happened. He said they needed to reassure each other, help each other when they veered off lines and lengths, and also “show some body language”.Mohammed Siraj celebrates after dismissing Ollie Pope•Getty ImagesThey knew they had – as a human reaction – started to bowl hard lengths as if in the middle overs of an ODI, but that was not going to help them. Immediately, they started bowling better lengths for this pitch: one with appreciable seam movement available. India have generally stayed on 6-8m for most of the series, but here they started hitting 5-6m more often: 13.4% of the times as opposed to 7.2% in the first session. So even when they pulled it back in reaction to aggression, they were still on the good length.As a result, they not only kept the edges and the stumps in play – thanks to the seam movement – but also gave the ball a chance to swing. Even though high-seam deliveries went down, their average swing went up, which created the combination India needed. Results were not instant, Crawley resumed just as merrily, but even though he didn’t start bowling, Siraj at mid-on was always reassuring his bowlers they were on the right track.Prasidh said it was challenging to keep bowling good balls when the batters played as well as Duckett and Crawley did, but they needed reassurance from each other that if they bowled well, “it was a matter of time”.1:45

Prasidh: I’ve been picked to do a job

Time, though, was not on their side. There were just three of them on a pitch that needed fast bowling the most. Bringing spin on would ease all the pressure. This is where Akash Deep, who took just one wicket, played a big role. He started the session with a five-over spell, had time off for just three overs, and then pitched in with a six-over spell from the other end. All the while clutching his shoulder and stretching it because of a niggle. These were not just any spells; they were 5-0-16-0 and 6-0-18-0 with plenty of questions asked.At the other end, the only fast bowler left standing after playing all Tests, Siraj pulled in a shift: 8-0-35-3. He pulled out the lethal combination of outswing and wobble-seam. He dragged Joe Root across with outswing before bowling the lbw ball with the wobble seam. As a true disciple of Jasprit Bumrah, in his first 12 overs, Siraj bowled only one ball fuller than 5m: the near-yorker to get Jacob Bethell out.It was then time for Prasidh to take over from Akash Deep and show off his wobble-seam ball. He has been bowling it for a while now, increasing the frequency of it as his trust in it had grown, but he also perhaps produced his first wicket with the way the wobble-seam ball is intended: to nip back in and trap the batter in front, Jamie Overton in this case.Good things now started to happen to the wise guys. The rain break came at just the right time to allow them to stay fresh and limit the damage Harry Brook could cause in the company of the tail. If you are just watching from the outside and thought the series was over at lunch, you are probably reacting like Silvio, a nod to if ever there was one: “Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in.”

Pakistan’s spinners had Australia struggling at 76 for 7. Enter Mooney

Madushka Balasuriya08-Oct-2025

Playing the ball late was a hallmark of Mooney’s rescue act•AFP/Getty Images

“It’s never going to be everyone’s day on the same day. Quite possibly it might just be one person’s day.”At 76 for 7 in the 22nd over against Pakistan those pre-match words might have been quite far from Ellyse Perry’s mind, but in the end they proved as self-fulfilling as they were prescient, as Australia clawed themselves back into the game to post an eventually match-winning total of 221 for 9.At the forefront of this latest Australian fightback was none other than Beth Mooney, their ever-reliable firefighter. Mooney more than most is accustomed to bailing her sides out of holes; she’s battled through oppressing heat to steer her Brisbane Heat to a BBL title; she’s recovered from a broken jaw to help Australia win the Ashes; and on numerous occasions she’s mitigated collapses to recalibrate an innings.Related

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But on a sticky Khettarama surface, one which Australia were batting on for the first time this tournament, Pakistan’s spinners were in total control of proceedings. Enter Mooney, who once again showcased her ability to navigate the most high-pressure situations as if she has ice in her veins. It was this calm that allowed her to adjust her game and keep her head clear when all those around her were losing their wickets.Pakistan to their credit bowled well, and fielded even better. Nashra Sandhu in particular was at her devastating best, perhaps channeling the echoes of Rangana Herath from within the walls of the R. Premadasa, as she spun and slid deliveries past her foes.Australia’s batters, however, weren’t exactly battening down the hatches.”I think we all go out with the same approach, and that’s to be really positive, but also really adaptable and smart to whatever the game’s presenting, whether that’s conditions or the opposition,” Perry had opined pre-game.Here they had the first part down, but that adaptability was sorely letting them down. Healy chipped one to midwicket; Litchfield skied a leading edge; Perry was deceived by some dip and turn charging down the track; Gardner, another chip to midwicket; McGrath sliced one to cover; Wareham popped one back to the bowler.3:25

Review: Mooney masterclass, seamers down Pakistan

The one thing all of these wickets had in common was a desire to be on the attack, take on the bowling on the front foot. But on a surface where the ball was holding up, that proved to be a sure fire recipe for calamity…until Mooney.Mooney’s was not a counter-attacking charge, like that of Gardner’s against New Zealand a week prior. In fact, if there was a bell curve for Mooney’s impact, it would be inversely proportional to its remarkableness.”Certainly there were moments when I thought I could take the ball on, reverse sweep, ramp, get down the ground, that sort of thing,” revealed Mooney after the game. “They’d pop into my mind, albeit very briefly, and I’d have to park it pretty quickly and play the scenario in front of me basically.”Where others sought to take charge, Mooney allowed proceedings to wash over her. The innings was quintessentially low risk, high percentage. She struck 11 boundaries during her 114-ball 109, but six of those came in the final 10 overs, four of which in the final five.4:40

Mooney: ‘Not much of a gulf between top teams and others’

The rest of those boundaries were less release strokes, more gifts to be gratefully accepted. A tickle down fine leg here, a long hop slapped away there. And on the odd occasion, maybe a glimpse of the flair stirring within, as she drove one through a tightly packed offside field. But never would she get carried away; she didn’t hit back-to-back boundaries until the 47th over.In the process Mooney did what many of those around had failed to do – played the ball late. Australia are not a team that relies on the sweep too heavily – though Litchfield does play a mean reverse – instead opting to use their feet liberally. Mooney however prefers using the depth of the crease, and in Colombo that has long been the among the most effective ways to combat conditions.”So my method in the nets was to really commit if I was going to come out and try and hit down the ground as hard as I could, or to sit deep and still hit it as hard as I could. Thankfully that method works tonight. I might have to adjust and adapt that as we go and play for others on the continent.”It just seemed like the ball, when it was a little bit full, wasn’t coming on as nice when the batters were playing out in front of them. So that method doesn’t always work, and perhaps you’ve got to be a little bit agile with that mindset. But I think just being really clinical with the footwork and really clear and concise with that method works.”Alana King and Beth Mooney added 106 off 97 balls for the ninth wicket•ICC/Getty ImagesIn an innings that Mooney herself touted as one of her best, if there was anything she might have done differently it might have been the stage at which they accelerated towards the death. Her conflict was such that she was seen heading off the field during a DRS review to have a chat with those in the dugout.”[The chat in the dugout was about] trying to find out at what point I could start being a little bit more expansive. I think at that point there was maybe 15 overs left. So just the number of overs that I could start playing a few more shots.”I think there’s always going to be games in those scenarios where you sort of think, ‘we scored pretty freely towards the very end’, and I did wonder if we could have done that a little bit earlier.”In the end though Alana King’s momentum-clinching cameo at the death helped Australia crunch 34 runs in the final two overs to boost them to 221. It also meant that it wasn’t solely Mooney’s day with the bat, but just yet more evidence that when it comes to Australia, more often than not, it will be someone’s.

Big names are missing due to the Asia Cup and India A’s multi-day series against Australia A

Ashish Pant10-Sep-2025Big picture: Big names missing in finalWith a host of big names either playing the Asia Cup or getting ready for India A’s red-ball series against Australia A, the Duleep Trophy 2025-26 final at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru is expected to be a low-key affair. Both South Zone and Central Zone have brought in reinforcements after their respective semi-finals.Central Zone have made four changes, with Vidarbha seamer Nachiket Bhute, Madhya Pradesh’s Kumar Kartikeya and Kuldeep Sen, and Rajasthan’s left-arm spinner Kukna Ajay Singh getting into the mix. They come in for Yash Thakur, Harsh Dubey, Khaleel Ahmed and Manav Suthar, who have departed for the four-day series against Australia A in Lucknow.South Zone, meanwhile, have brought in Karnataka’s R Smaran and Tamil Nadu’s C Andre Siddarth in place of Devdutt Padikkal and N Jagadeesan.Related

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Shubham Sharma – a low-profile red-ball warrior in the T20 era

Danish Malewar's bright start and big ambitions

Central Zone’s batting looks formidable. Three of the four highest run-scorers in the tournament belong to them: Danish Malewar (294), Rajat Patidar (268) and Shubham Sharma (252). The bowling, however, is severely depleted, with four of their frontliners out of the final.The onus will be on offspinner Saransh Jain, who got a match haul of 8 for 205, and, with that, the Player-of-the-Match award in the semi-final against West Zone, to continue his form. Central Zone will also hope for Deepak Chahar to get back among the wickets. The seamer has had a lukewarm Duleep Trophy so far – two wickets in three innings at 58 – and hasn’t found much movement with the new ball.South Zone have an inexperienced batting unit, and will bank on Tanmay Agarwal, Ricky Bhui and captain Mohammed Azharuddeen to get some runs. The bowlers, led by quick Gurjapneet Singh, were impressive in the semi-final against North Zone, and will hope to continue their wicket-taking form.Central Zone have only played at Ground B, which has a black-soil pitch, while South Zone have previous experience of playing at Ground A, which will host the final, and has a red-soil pitch. Both teams dominated their respective semi-finals, qualifying by virtue of a first-innings lead.The Duleep Trophy final will be live streamed on the JioHotstar app.Rajat Patidar has a strike rate of 106.34 in the Duleep Trophy this season•PTI In the spotlight: Rajat Patidar and Mohammed AzharuddeenWith scores of 125, 66 and 77, Rajat Patidar has been in impressive form in the Duleep Trophy. He is third on the run charts, while his strike rate of 106.34 is the highest for any batter to have played more than six balls in the tournament. Patidar’s captaincy has also stood out in both games, but with many of his frontline bowlers missing, it will be tested in the final.South Zone captain Mohammed Azharuddeen missed out on an excellent batting pitch in the semi-final. He will want to make amends. Azharuddeen, who will also keep wicket with Jagadeesan away, had a terrific Ranji Trophy 2024-25, scoring 635 runs at 70.55 in Kerala’s run to the final. He also entered the Duleep Trophy on the back of a decent Kerala Cricket League, where he recorded 253 runs in eight innings.Team news: Central’s new bowlersSouth Zone could send Shaik Rasheed to open alongside Tanmay, while Smaran could come into the middle order. Salman Nizar was struck on the knee during the semi-final, and had to be carried to the dugout. If he fails to recover in time, they could bring Siddarth into the XI.South Zone (probable): 1 Shaik Rasheed, 2 Tanmay Agarwal, 3 Mohit Kale, 4 R Smaran, 5 Ricky Bhui (vice-capt), 6 C Andre Siddarth/Salman Nizar, 7 Mohammed Azharuddeen (capt, wk), 8 Tanay Thyagarajan, 9 Gurjapneet Singh, 10 Vasuki Koushik, 11 MD NidheeshDeepak Chahar has two wickets at an average of 58 in this season’s Duleep Trophy•PTI Central Zone are unlikely to tinker with their batting order, but will have to field almost a fresh bowling unit. While Chahar is likely to hold on to his place, Kartikeya, Kuldeep and Aditya Thakare could all come into the side.Central Zone (probable): 1 Aayush Pandey, 2 Danish Malewar, 3 Shubham Sharma, 4 Rajat Patidar (capt), 5 Yash Rathod, 6 Upendra Yadav (wk), 7 Aditya Thakare, 8 Saransh Jain, 9 Deepak Chahar, 10 Kumar Kartikeya, 11 Kuldeep SenPitch and conditions: Runs galoreThe surface at Ground A has been excellent for batting. Neither of the two Duleep Trophy games played there had a fourth innings, with only 45 wickets falling across the quarter-final and the semi-final. According to the weather forecast, there could be a mix of cloudy skies and rain showers throughout the five days of the final.Quotes”There was something for the fast bowlers, especially when they were hitting the seam – it was moving in and out. But we need to be really patient for that one ball. We know that it is a flat wicket, but we also know that there will be something in between.

How the cricketing world reacted to the news of Kohli’s Test retirement

ESPNcricinfo staff12-May-20251:38

AB de Villiers: ‘I did get a hint that Kohli would retire’

Virat Kohli on Monday announced his retirement from Test cricket, sparking reactions from the rest of the cricketing world. Cricketers, both current and retired, took to social media to pay tribute to Kohli, who played 123 Tests in 14 years.

As you retire from Tests, I'm reminded of your thoughtful gesture 12 years ago, during my last Test. You offered to gift me a thread from your late father. It was something too personal for me to accept, but the gesture was heartwarming and has stayed with me ever since. While I… pic.twitter.com/JaVzVxG0mQ

— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) May 12, 2025