India have used ten pace options in 11 ODIs this year with injuries and role uncertainty mounting ahead of the 2027 World Cup.
India have used ten fast bowlers in 11 ODIs this calendar year, with injuries limiting the availability of key players including Hardik Pandya, Harshit Rana and Jasprit Bumrah. The team has handed debuts to Gurnoor Brar, Prince Yadav and Auqib Nabi, but the lack of role clarity has raised concerns about preparation for the 2027 World Cup.
Mohammed Siraj has been in the squad for the West Indies series but has not played a game, creating uncertainty about his standing. Prasidh Krishna's hamstring injury has further complicated selection for the third ODI, with Anshul Kamboj called up as replacement.
The team management must settle on a core pace group that includes Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna, Arshdeep Singh and possibly Brar or Harshit Rana by October next year, while ensuring Pandya and Nitish Kumar Reddy remain fit for the tournament.
Tahlia McGrath scored 154 as South Australia posted 290 for seven against Victoria in the WNCL.
Tahlia McGrath scored 154 from 137 balls for South Australia against Victoria at Junction Oval on Tuesday. They were 97 for five when she arrived; she left them 290 for seven.
McGrath and captain Jemma Barsby put on 167 for the sixth wicket, Barsby making 50 off 71. McGrath took 111 balls to reach her hundred, then added 51 more from the last 26 deliveries.
Victoria chased the target with two wickets and three balls left. Annabel Sutherland made 107 and Georgia Wareham 88, while McGrath finished with two for 55.
Australia A's spinners exploited helpful conditions to reduce India A to 122 for 5 by stumps on day two.
Todd Murphy and Corey Rocchiccioli dismissed key India A batters on the second day of the second unofficial Test in Puducherry, leaving the hosts 236 runs behind at stumps on Wednesday. India A reached 122 for 5 after Australia A declared at 358.
Murphy took two wickets for 26 runs while Rocchiccioli created problems with his flight and bounce. Sai Sudharsan was trapped lbw and Devdutt Padikkal was bowled as India A's middle order struggled against the Australian spinners.
Sam Harper's 128 helped Australia A reach 358 despite a patient morning session where he added just 20 runs off 60 balls. Anshul Kamboj dismissed Harper and Liam Hatcher in consecutive deliveries to end Australia A's innings.
Virat Kohli rose to second in ICC ODI batting rankings after scoring his 55th ODI century against West Indies.
Virat Kohli moved up to second place in the latest ICC men's ODI batting rankings after scoring his 55th ODI century against the West Indies. He gained 29 points to reach 796, narrowing the gap with India captain Shubman Gill, who remains at the top with 816 points. Kohli's unbeaten 139 in the first ODI helped India take a 1-0 series lead.
England opener Tom Banton gained 333 places to reach 83rd after scoring 126 in the third ODI against Sri Lanka. South Africa's Keshav Maharaj climbed three places to third among bowlers, while India's Kuldeep Yadav moved up four spots to fifth. Australia's Josh Hazlewood returned to the top 10 after taking three wickets against South Africa.
The rankings update covers the last two matches of the England-Sri Lanka series and the first two of the South Africa-Australia series, in addition to India's series opener against the West Indies.
Gambhir questioned flat pitches after the 406 chase. He said bowlers need contest to prepare for 2027 conditions.
India coach Gautam Gambhir criticised the flat pitches after India chased 406 against West Indies in Guwahati. The second ODI produced 811 runs and five centuries. Gambhir said the conditions offered no contest between bat and ball, which does not prepare bowlers for tougher surfaces. He noted that young bowlers need pressure situations to develop. The 2027 World Cup will be played in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia. Those venues typically offer more assistance to bowlers than the Indian pitches used in this series.
Former India wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik wants two changes for Wednesday's second ODI against West Indies in Guwahati. He says India should drop Prasidh Krishna or Gurnoor Brar and bring in either Mohammed Siraj or Auqib Nabi.
India won the first ODI by eight wickets and lead the series 1-0. Prasidh and Brar bowled 20 overs between them and took just two wickets while conceding 120 runs. Karthik believes this series is the right time to test options ahead of the 2027 World Cup.
Siraj hasn't played an ODI since January 2026. Nabi is still waiting for his international debut despite recent call-ups across formats. Ajinkya Rahane, though, wants the team to stick with Brar after one match.
Brown will miss the start of WBBL|12 after a disc injury sustained on Australia A duty in India.
Adelaide Strikers will be without Darcie Brown for the first part of WBBL|12. The 23-year-old fast bowler has a disc issue that will keep her out for up to 10 weeks. She picked it up on the Australia A tour of India.
The injury also rules her out of Australia's ODI series against Bangladesh next month. Brown needs at least three weeks of rest before she can start bowling again. Selectors hope she returns in time for the back end of the WBBL or the Champions Trophy.
The Strikers have already named 11 of their 15 players, including Sophie Ecclestone and Maia Bouchier. They'll lean on Eleanor Larosa, Megan Schutt and Tahlia McGrath while Brown recovers.
Shubham Sharma will lead Madhya Pradesh in the absence of Rajat Patidar and Arshad Khan for the opening round.
The Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association named Shubham Sharma captain of its 17-member Ranji Trophy squad for the 2026-27 season. Regular captain Rajat Patidar and left-arm seamer Arshad Khan are unavailable for the opening round after selection for India A. Venkatesh Iyer is also sidelined while recovering from shoulder surgery.
Madhya Pradesh will begin its campaign against Jammu and Kashmir in Srinagar on 11 October. The side reached the quarter-finals last season before losing to eventual champions Jammu and Kashmir.
The squad includes Avesh Khan and Kuldeep Sen in the pace attack. Saransh Jain and Kumar Karthikeya form the spin options. Chandrakant Pandit continues as head coach.
Akash Deep will return to competitive cricket for the first time since February when he plays for Rest of India against Jammu and Kashmir in the Irani Cup starting Thursday at Sher-i-Kashmir Stadium in Srinagar. The 29-year-old missed seven months with a stress fracture in his lower back. The injury was detected after Bengal's Ranji Trophy semifinal against J&K last season.
Jammu and Kashmir enter the match as defending Ranji Trophy champions. They will be without their leading wicket-taker Auqib Nabi, who is with India for the ODI series against the West Indies, and injured fast bowler Yudhvir Singh Charak.
Rest of India are led by Rishabh Pant. The match runs from October 1 to 5.
Half-centuries from Tanisha Singh, Niki Prasad and Shubha Satheesh lifted India Women's A to 351 for 9.
India Women's A scored 351 for 9 on the first day of their one-off unofficial Test against Australia A in Mohali. Tanisha Singh made 92, Niki Prasad remained unbeaten on 78 and Shubha Satheesh scored 59. The innings was built on a strong opening stand of 102 between Shubha and Priya Punia.
Tanisha fell 8 runs short of a century after batting 166 balls and striking 12 fours. Niki Prasad hit 11 fours and two sixes during her 99-ball knock. Australia’s Charli Knott and Lilly Mills took three wickets each.
The match continues on day two on Wednesday. India Women’s A will look to build on their first-innings total against an Australia side that has yet to bat.
Jadeja's recent ODI returns have placed his World Cup prospects under scrutiny as Axar Patel moves ahead in selection calculations.
India's spin-bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule said the team will continue assessing Ravindra Jadeja alongside Axar Patel ahead of the 2027 World Cup. Jadeja returned for the West Indies series after Axar and Washington Sundar were unavailable.
In his last 10 ODIs Jadeja has taken five wickets, with only one in the past seven matches. He has not scored a half-century in nearly six years and has conceded more than six runs an over in three of his last seven outings.
Bahutule noted Jadeja's improved bowling in recent Tests and his utility with bat and ball. The selectors must now decide whether experience alone justifies his place when Axar offers similar skills and greater recent impact.
Jos Buttler said Brendon McCullum's removal as England Test coach allows undivided attention on the 2027 ODI World Cup. McCullum was sacked from the red-ball role in July but remains in charge of the white-ball side. England won 11 of 13 limited-overs matches this summer including ODI series victories over India and Sri Lanka. Buttler told his podcast that McCullum now has one focus and can dedicate all his attention to white-ball cricket. Buttler will miss England's tri-series in Pakistan next month after sustaining a hamstring injury against Sri Lanka. Jordan Cox will replace him for the series that begins on 20 October.
Nitish Kumar Reddy's limited bowling workload in ODIs reflects India's cautious approach to developing him as a Pandya successor.
Nitish Kumar Reddy opened the bowling for India in the first ODI against West Indies, sharing the new ball with Prasidh Krishna. The 23-year-old conceded 18 runs in his first over but took a wicket in the final over, finishing with one for 45 from five overs.
India are developing Reddy as a potential successor to Hardik Pandya, who has been ruled out of the India A series against Australia A with a shin injury. Bowling coach Morne Morkel said the team wants Reddy to be consistent and fulfil the basics rather than create opportunities.
Reddy has bowled just 12.5 overs per first-class match on average since May 2025 and just over five overs per ODI since October 2025. Morkel indicated Reddy is not expected to be a full-fledged all-rounder but a passable one who contributes with the bat.
Deepak Chahar says three expensive bats were taken from his father's academy and appealed for their return on social media.
Deepak Chahar reported that three of his player-edition bats were stolen from his father's cricket academy on September 28. He posted a video on Instagram stating the bats had a combined value of around Rs 1.5 lakh and asked the person who took them to return the equipment.
Chahar said he had left his kit unattended during a training session and discovered the bats missing about an hour later. He suggested the individual might not have known their worth and joked that he could approach police or even the Prime Minister for help.
The pacer has played 28 internationals across formats and last appeared for India in December 2023. He remains part of the Mumbai Indians squad for the current IPL season.
Bangladesh's new D3 tournament collapses three formats into one franchise league, a structural gamble that could redefine how domestic talent is developed and monetised.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board has announced D3, a franchise-based competition that folds First-Class, List-A and T20 cricket into one structure. Six franchises were sold to companies for the 2026-27 season, each required to field sides in every format. BCB has signed three-year deals with the owners.
The T20 leg starts on 15 September. The First-Class phase follows in January and the 50-over stage in May. Franchise owners pay BDT 25 million each. Icon players named so far include Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Towhid Hridoy, Mosaddek Hossain, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mohammad Naim and Nurul Hasan.
The move comes while the Bangladesh Premier League sits in financial limbo after heavy losses reported in August.
Yuzvendra Chahal ends his three-year association with Northamptonshire after taking 58 first-class wickets for the county.
Yuzvendra Chahal has ended his three-year spell at Northamptonshire. He posted a farewell note before his last match of the 2026 County Championship, and his teammates lined up to give him a guard of honour.
Chahal first arrived in August 2024. He took 5/14 on debut against Kent in the One-Day Cup. The county kept him on for 2025 and 2026. Heading into this season he already had 44 first-class and 7 List A wickets for the club; he added 14 more in two final Championship games. In total he claimed 58 first-class wickets in three summers away from India.
Away from county cricket, Chahal has 217 white-ball wickets for India.
Virat Kohli said conversations with Rohit Sharma about the 2027 World Cup have intensified, focusing on solving team problems and finishing unfinished business from previous tournaments.
Virat Kohli says the conversations with Rohit Sharma about the 2027 World Cup have grown more intense and specific. The two discuss how to spot problems quickly and fix them before the next match.
Kohli says the talks have always been about what helps the Indian team, never about personal numbers. Both have led the side, and during the transition from MS Dhoni they kept trading ideas on the job.
The 2027 tournament is unfinished business after the 2019 semifinal and 2023 final losses. Kohli says the aim is still the same: play a match-winning innings in the final.
Shastri defended Kohli and Rohit against reported plans to exclude them from the 2027 squad.
Former India coach Ravi Shastri said selectors trying to drop Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma from the 2027 World Cup squad should watch their own positions. He spoke at a broadcast event ahead of the first ODI against West Indies.
Shastri said both players never left the setup and will be available for selection. He called them giants of the white-ball game whose legacy will likely come from their final World Cup.
Reports in July suggested chief selector Ajit Agarkar planned to move on from Rohit before 2027. Shastri coached both during their most successful campaigns and still sees them as central to India's white-ball plans.
India's wrist-spinner continues to face selection uncertainty despite proven match-winning ability in limited-overs cricket.
Kuldeep Yadav took 4 for 40 against West Indies in the opening ODI at Thiruvananthapuram. His spell proved decisive after West Indies reached 135 without loss in the first 25 overs. India won the match by eight wickets with Virat Kohli scoring an unbeaten 139.
India's selection pattern shows Kuldeep returning after extended absences and immediately facing pressure to reproduce his best. The wrist-spinner's career has followed a cycle of match-winning performances followed by omission for batting depth considerations. Players like Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel and Washington Sundar offer batting contributions that Kuldeep cannot match.
Captain Shubman Gill acknowledged Kuldeep's impact in middle overs during the series opener. The performance comes at a critical time as India finalises combinations for the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa.
Kuldeep Yadav's match-winning spells continue to force a reckoning with India's selection logic that prioritizes batsmen-friendly combinations over proven wicket-takers.
Kuldeep Yadav took 4 for 40 against West Indies in the first ODI at Thiruvananthapuram, restricting the visitors after they had reached 135 for 0. He bowled 34 dot balls in his 10 overs and dismissed Justin Greaves and Jewel Andrew in successive deliveries to finish the innings. India won by eight wickets.
Kuldeep has now produced match-winning spells after long absences from the side. His ODI returns dipped earlier this year, including a wicketless outing against Afghanistan, and those performances have been cited as reasons for his inconsistent selection. India have preferred combinations that include Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel or Washington Sundar because they offer additional batting depth.
Wrist-spin depends on rhythm and small technical details that suffer when a bowler plays only intermittently. Kuldeep's stop-start selection creates a cycle where ordinary comeback performances strengthen the argument for another combination, yet the evidence shows that when he receives enough overs to settle into a spell, he provides something those safer combinations cannot replicate.
