Kuldeep Yadav's 4 for 40 against West Indies highlights India's pattern of dropping their most effective wrist-spinner when batting depth takes selection priority over proven wicket-takers.
Kuldeep Yadav took 4 for 40 against West Indies in the first ODI at Thiruvananthapuram, removing Justin Campbell, Shai Hope, Justin Greaves and Jewel Andrew after West Indies had posted 135 for no loss. His spell of 10 overs with 34 dot balls turned the match and earned him the player-of-the-match award despite Virat Kohli's unbeaten 139.
India's selection pattern shows Kuldeep repeatedly dropped after strong performances because selectors prioritise batting depth from all-round options like Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel. Kuldeep cannot provide the same lower-order insurance, making his position less secure whenever India seeks additional batting cover without a genuine seam-bowling all-rounder.
The wrist-spinner's career has followed a cycle of match-winning spells followed by periods out of the side, with rhythm disrupted by inconsistent opportunities. His recent County Championship stint with Yorkshire produced a 10-wicket haul, and captain Shubman Gill credited Kuldeep's middle-over wicket-taking ability for getting India back into the contest after the West Indies opening stand.
Kuldeep's four-for-40 against West Indies shows the trade-off India keeps making when it chooses batting depth over a specialist wrist-spinner.
Kuldeep Yadav took four for 40 against West Indies in the first ODI, after the visitors had reached 135 without loss. He bowled 34 dot balls, broke the opening stand and removed centurion Justin Greaves.
India keep dropping him when they want an extra batter, whether that means Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel or Washington Sundar. The wrist-spinner has played 122 ODIs since 2017, yet the same selection doubts return after every quiet spell.
Captain Shubman Gill said Kuldeep turned the match when India were on the back foot. The spell followed a lean run that included limited chances across formats and a wicketless outing against Afghanistan earlier this year.
Eesa, son of Zimbabwe T20I captain Sikandar Raza, scored 279 off 146 balls for Hellenic Academy U14 against CBC. He struck 30 fours and 20 sixes, with boundaries accounting for 240 of his runs. Eesa came out to bat at number three in the second over and kept finding the boundaries even as wickets fell at the other end.
Eesa added 307 runs for the fourth wicket with Tawananyasha Zvobgo, who scored 92 off 66 balls. The pair helped Hellenic Academy reach 518. CBC collapsed to 85 in their chase, losing by 433 runs.
The CBC U14 bowlers used eight different bowlers and conceded 63 extras. Jonathan Masuku was the most expensive, conceding 101 in eight overs, while Dylan Ncube took 2 for 65 including the wicket of Eesa in the 48th over.
Sehwag said cricket's popularity does not depend on individual stars and audiences have grown.
Virender Sehwag dismissed concerns that fan interest would decline after Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ravichandran Ashwin retired from Test cricket. The former India opener said the same claims were made when Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev and Sachin Tendulkar stepped away, yet audiences have grown. He attributed the increase to cricket moving from television to mobile phones.
Sehwag said some fans had told him they stopped watching after his own retirement, but he did not believe them. He argued that if the game depended only on individual cricketers, it would have stopped long ago. Shubman Gill has taken over the Test captaincy since Kohli and Rohit stepped away.
The three retirements have left questions about who will fill the void in India's red-ball setup over the coming years.
Australia rest Pat Cummins for the second ODI while Alex Carey returns behind the stumps after Josh Inglis's injury.
Pat Cummins will remain on ice for at least one more match, while Josh Inglis's broken finger has given Alex Carey an ODI lifeline with Australia playing for the series against South Africa at the Wanderers. Selectors have put next month's Tests above a sense of occasion, opting against recalling Cummins for their tour's only visit to the iconic Bullring where the fast bowler made his memorable Test debut 15 years ago.
Swing bowler Xavier Bartlett got the nod instead as Mitch Marsh chose to field at the toss. Mitchell Starc has been rotated out but Josh Hazlewood remains in the XI after featuring in Thursday's series-opening 67-run defeat in Durban. South Africa made four changes, the most notable seeing Marco Jansen's twin Duan picked for the first time to an international with his twin.
Aiden Markram is back to open the batting after missing the first ODI for personal reasons. Tristan Stubbs is also back, named in the middle order, along with paceman Lizaad Williams. Tony de Zorzi, Ryan Rickelton, Gerald Coetzee and Corbin Bosch have all been left out.
Virat Kohli said the 2019 World Cup semifinal loss to New Zealand left him distraught for two months.
Virat Kohli said the 2019 World Cup semifinal defeat to New Zealand left him distraught and affected him mentally for two months. The match in Manchester was spread over two days after rain interrupted New Zealand's innings. New Zealand made 239 for eight and restricted India to 221. Kohli said the fresh conditions on the second morning gave New Zealand an advantage that proved decisive. He contrasted the loss with the 2015 semifinal defeat to Australia, saying the 2019 result was harder to process. Kohli said the 2023 World Cup campaign created a different environment within the squad despite the final defeat to Australia.
Morkel said fringe bowlers need exposure to tough situations ahead of the 2027 World Cup.
India bowling coach Morne Morkel said second-line bowlers such as Prasidh Krishna and Gurnoor Brar need overs in the three-match ODI series against the West Indies. The series begins on Sunday in Thiruvananthapuram before moving to New Zealand. Morkel said the plan is to keep giving fringe bowlers match time in different roles.
He told reporters the priority is simple: players who will ask for the ball when things are tight, not ones who protect their own place. Medical staff are also working on return-to-play plans for Harshit Rana and the other injured quicks.
Morkel admitted it was frustrating to see frontline bowlers repeatedly miss matches due to injuries but said India had enough depth to provide opportunities to others. The series gives the bowling unit a chance to test its resources ahead of the 2027 World Cup.
Clarke rated Kuldeep Yadav as the world’s best all-format spinner and urged India to give him more chances.
Former Australia captain Michael Clarke said on Saturday that Kuldeep Yadav is the best all-format spinner currently playing. Clarke made the comment on his YouTube channel Beyond23 Cricket Podcast ahead of India’s ODI series against the West Indies. He noted that very few spinners feature across all three formats and criticised the lack of opportunities for the left-arm wrist-spinner.
Clarke said he expects Kuldeep to play against Australia later this year. The 31-year-old has taken 369 wickets in 194 international matches at a strike rate of 28.40 but was left out of India’s Test side against Sri Lanka and the T20I squad for Afghanistan.
Kuldeep recently returned to England and claimed career-best figures of 6 for 50 in a County Championship match for Yorkshire against Essex.
Markram said the upcoming Test series against Australia should be played in the right spirit.
South Africa batter Aiden Markram called on fans to give Australia a respectful reception when the teams meet in Tests next month. The three-match series in Durban, Gqeberha and Cape Town will be the first between the sides in South Africa since the 2018 Sandpapergate scandal.
Markram said many supporters had moved on from the incident and noted that franchise cricket had created friendships across teams. He added that both sides like to feel the heat of competition and that the contest would remain hard-nosed once the boundary was crossed.
Markram, who has three of his eight Test centuries against Australia and averages 61.60 against them since 2018, returns from personal leave for the second ODI against Australia in Johannesburg on Sunday.
Prasidh Krishna said he wants to be ten times better after injury as he prepares for the five-Test series against Australia.
Prasidh Krishna has already played five-Test series in both Australia and England. Now he's aiming to come back stronger from injury and ready himself for the next one, next year.
The 30-year-old knows India will need to keep intensity up across 25 days of cricket, and he says the side is already planning for that. The series sits right in the middle of the World Test Championship cycle, so the stakes are clear.
Before that, though, comes New Zealand. Krishna sees it as a chance to test how India's fast bowlers handle different conditions, and he puts his own recent consistency down to learning new pitches and leaning on his bowling partners.
Sitanshu Kotak confirmed Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill will open for India against West Indies, leaving Yashasvi Jaiswal waiting.
India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak made it clear that Yashasvi Jaiswal won't open the first ODI against West Indies. Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill stay the first-choice pair.
Kotak pointed to the depth in the top order and told Jaiswal he must keep scoring and stay ready. It's not about fairness, he stressed, just a numbers game.
Jaiswal's last ODI innings came in June against Afghanistan, where he made a hundred. Unless an injury or planned rest creates a gap, he waits.
Nitish Kumar Reddy has been added to India's ODI squad against West Indies as the team prepares for a post-Hardik Pandya future.
India pulled Nitish Kumar Reddy from the Asian Games T20I squad and straight into the ODI side against West Indies. The move signals they're already lining him up as Hardik Pandya's long-term replacement.
Pandya hasn't played an ODI since the Champions Trophy final. A shin injury ruled him out of the New Zealand tour. Head coach Gautam Gambhir said the early call-up gives Nitish game time ahead of the 2027 World Cup in South Africa.
Nitish has just six ODIs behind him and is still working on his all-round game, but the selectors aren't treating him as a stop-gap.
Dhruv Jurel rejected comparisons with the 15-year-old, calling his talent beyond comprehension.
Dhruv Jurel said comparisons with Vaibhav Sooryavanshi are pointless because the 15-year-old's talent sits at a level others cannot match. He told Aakash Chopra's podcast that the Rajasthan Royals opener deserves all the praise he receives and that his powerplay striking makes batting easier for the rest of the order.
Jurel dismissed any suggestion of jealousy and added that watching Sooryavanshi forces senior batters to raise their own approach. The India wicketkeeper-batter finished as the second-highest run-scorer in India's recent Test series behind Devdutt Padikkal with 173 runs.
Sooryavanshi has been left out of India's T20I side for the Afghanistan series but remains in the squad for the Asian Games.
England captain Joe Root recalled watching Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly score centuries at Headingley as his first memory of attending a Test match. India piled on more than 600 runs and won by an innings during that 2002 encounter.
Root, who is 1,643 runs short of Tendulkar's record of 15,921 Test runs, said he attended the match with his local cricket club Rotherham Town. He described it as a wonderful experience watching the Indian batters dominate the England attack.
Root recently became the eighth batter to cross 23,000 international runs across formats. He is also the third-most capped player in Test cricket behind Tendulkar and James Anderson.
Edwards made his ODI debut for Australia after travelling from India where he was preparing for an Australia A match.
Jack Edwards received his first ODI cap from Australia captain Pat Cummins on the Kingsmead outfield after a 40-hour trip from east coast India. The 26-year-old had been preparing for an Australia A match against India A in Puducherry when selectors called him into the ODI squad.
Edwards broke his foot in February and spent three months in a moon boot, missing his planned IPL debut with Sunrisers Hyderabad. He said Cummins joked about the yellow cap replacing the orange one he would have worn in the IPL.
The all-rounder conceded 21 runs in his first three overs but returned to bowl four of the final 11 overs, conceding 23 runs and restricting South Africa's middle order to a collective strike rate of 76.
Vinod Kambli shares a video from an elderly care centre in Thane thanking staff for the facilities while fans express concern over his health.
Former India batter Vinod Kambli posted a video from Nidaan Centre for Elderly Care in Thane on Friday, thanking staff for the facilities and care. The 54-year-old said the centre felt like home and praised the hygiene and attention he receives while undergoing treatment.
Kambli has dealt with health issues since late 2024, including a urinary infection and a blood clot in his brain that affects his memory. Neurosurgeon Aadil Chagla has advised him to stop smoking to reduce stroke risk. His wife Andrea Hewitt dismissed recent reports about his condition as false.
Kambli played 17 Tests and 104 ODIs for India between 1991 and 2000, scoring 1,084 Test runs at 54.20 and 2,477 ODI runs at 32.59. He scored nine centuries across both formats.
India are developing all-round depth through Nitish Reddy and workload planning rather than depending solely on Hardik Pandya's return timeline for the 2027 World Cup.
India's approach to the 2027 ODI World Cup is shifting toward building proven all-round options rather than waiting for Hardik Pandya to regain full fitness. Pandya hasn't played since the IPL, hampered by recurring shin and quadriceps injuries, and he's not in the West Indies ODI squad because he can't yet bowl ten overs. Gautam Gambhir said both Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah remain central to plans for South Africa but stressed that game time before the tournament matters.
Nitish Reddy has emerged as the potential back-up. Morne Morkel believes Reddy has the attributes to compete for the role if given clear responsibilities and consistent opportunities. Reddy has already taken six wickets across two T20Is against Afghanistan after recovering from his own quadriceps injury and will feature in the ODI series against West Indies. Morkel added that workload management across the squad is being coordinated with medical staff to keep multiple players available.
The crowded calendar makes three-format players harder to maintain. Gambhir indicated senior batters may be rested from portions of the New Zealand tour to prepare for the Test series that begins three days after the final ODI. India face nine ODIs against Australia, Bangladesh and England before the cycle intensifies.
Tom Lammonby's unbeaten century kept Somerset's slim title hopes alive as they reached 222 for three against Surrey.
Tom Lammonby scored his first County Championship century of the season as Somerset reached 222 for three against Surrey at Taunton. The left-hander remained unbeaten on 103 off 217 balls while Tom Abell contributed an unbeaten 63.
Abell became only the third Division One batter to pass 1,000 runs this season. Somerset trail Surrey by 200 runs after the visitors extended their first innings to 422 all out with Dan Lawrence scoring 139.
Somerset's title hopes appear over with Warwickshire well placed to secure the draw they need against Leicestershire. Surrey's attack was weakened by the absence of Rahul Chahar due to a back problem and Dan Lawrence who was called up by England.
Noman Ali's six-wicket haul helped Lancashire fight back after Durham posted 493 in their County Championship match.
Noman Ali claimed six wickets as Lancashire reduced Durham to 493 all out on day two of their County Championship match. Oliver Robinson and Brydon Carse scored fifties for the home side before bad weather ended play.
Lancashire reached 222 for three in reply with Tom Lammonby unbeaten on 103. Tom Abell remained not out on 63 after becoming only the third Division One batter to pass 1,000 runs this season.
Surrey extended their first innings to 422 all out against Somerset with Dan Lawrence scoring 139. Somerset reached 222 for three with Lammonby completing his first century of the season.
Gill's decisions show he views Kohli and Rohit as assets whose places depend on output, not status.
Shubman Gill's captaincy has already begun to reshape India's middle-order selection by treating Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli as current contributors rather than legacy figures. Batting coach Sitanshu Kotak confirmed Gill suffered only a minor elbow blow in Friday's nets and will be available for the first ODI against the West Indies on Sunday.
India's probable XI shows Ruturaj Gaikwad at number four and KL Rahul keeping wicket, with Ravindra Jadeja and Nitish Kumar Reddy filling the all-rounder spots. The absence of Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah and Shreyas Iyer has forced the selectors to promote players who must now perform without the safety net of established stars.
Gill's approach places the onus on results over reputation. He has already enforced a follow-on in a Test and shouldered blame for series losses in England, signalling that past achievements will not shield underperformers as India prepares for the 2027 World Cup.
