Naman Dhir has been told to bat at six or seven and bowl two or three overs in each T20I. The Mumbai Indians all-rounder made his debut in the current series against West Indies and has taken five wickets in nine overs across three matches.

India lead the five-match series 2-1, with the fourth game in Hyderabad on Wednesday. Skipper Shreyas Iyer and head coach Gautam Gambhir have given Dhir clear instructions as a finisher and economical bowler. The team has leaned on multi-faceted players while Hardik Pandya is missing.

Dhir said the impact player rule in the IPL has limited his bowling chances there, but he has always been comfortable with the ball. He dismissed Kamil Pooran in the third T20I after being hit for three sixes earlier in the over.

Sai Sudharsan went down in the covers on day two at Jaipur during Tamil Nadu's Ranji Trophy match against Rajasthan. Karan Lamba drove the ball, Sudharsan stopped it, and the impact caught his knee. He stayed on the ground, then sat in the dugout with ice.

The camp says it is nothing serious. Sudharsan flew in from Puducherry on Saturday after India A duties and only made the XI at the last minute. If the knee calms down he should field again, though whether he will bat once Rajasthan are out is still unclear.

Sudharsan is due to leave for India's tour of New Zealand in the coming days.

The ICC changed its playing conditions last week so the pink ball can be used in Tests when bad light is expected. The tweak followed a trial earlier this year but still bars any mid-match switch from red to pink. Australia and South Africa never discussed using the pink ball before their first Test in Durban.

Bad light wiped out more than 60 overs across the first three days. Former South Africa bowler Shaun Pollock, who sat on the ICC committee that backed the change, says the pink ball still carries a stigma, so teams steer clear even when it would keep play going. The option stays open for future Tests where afternoon cloud is forecast.

The pink ball has been used in day-night Tests because it is easier to see than the darker red in night-time conditions. Pollock argued that the ball would have allowed an extra 45 overs in Durban without altering the contest's balance.

Shreevats Goswami didn't mince words after West Indies chased 249 at Ranchi. The former RCB wicketkeeper says batters get everything, and bowlers just get punished.

He's seen careers end this way: one spell that costs 80-plus runs, then the selector's axe. Kuldeep Yadav looked sharp in the ODIs on the same ground, but the T20 surface turned him into target practice.

Michael Clarke traces the problem straight to the IPL's shadow over venue curators.

West Indies all-rounder Shamar Springer said his team had few options against Abhishek Sharma's 69 off 30 balls in the third T20I and resorted to bowling defensively to limit damage. Abhishek hit six fours and five sixes during his 14th T20I half-century as India posted 223 and won by 14 runs.

Springer told reporters after the match that the plan was to offer singles and twos rather than risk conceding boundaries on a flat pitch. He added that the target remained reachable despite Shai Hope's early dismissal, but missed opportunities in the middle overs proved costly.

Springer credited off-spinner Roston Chase for providing control and calmness to the side. Chase has taken six wickets across the three matches. Abhishek reached 2,000 T20I runs in the fewest balls faced by any player.

On the second morning in Jaipur, India batter Sai Sudharsan left the field after hurting himself in the covers during Rajasthan’s innings. The fielder went down while trying to stop a drive from Karan Lamba off P. Saravana Kumar. The nature of the problem is still unknown and Tamil Nadu have not given any further word on his fitness.

Sudharsan was a late inclusion in the side after returning from the India A tour. The match is still in progress at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium.

Prince Yadav became only the third Indian batter at number 10 or 11 to hit three boundaries in a T20 International. He struck three fours off Shamar Joseph in the final over as India closed at 223 against West Indies in the third T20I in Indore on Sunday. Fifteen years had passed since Ravichandran Ashwin last managed the feat. S Sreesanth remains the only other Indian with more from those positions, hitting four fours against New Zealand in 2007. India won by 14 runs and took a 2-1 series lead. Prince came in for Kuldeep Yadav so the side could pack an extra seamer on the small ground. He also revealed after the match that he had used Abhishek Sharma's bat for the cameo.

Suryakumar Yadav scored 17 runs off 10 deliveries for MIG Cricket Club in the President's Cup on Sunday. His innings included three boundaries before he was dismissed by Jagdish Bhanushali. The former India T20I captain faced the match after being left out of India's T20I side and Mumbai's Ranji Trophy squad.

MIG Cricket Club chased down 154 in 15.4 overs to win by five wickets against Muslim United Sports Club. Captain Nadeem Shaikh top-scored for the opposition with 42 off 19 balls as Muslim United posted 153 for seven.

Suryakumar was named captain of MIG for the tournament. He last played professional cricket on May 24, 2026, representing Mumbai Indians against Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2026.

New Zealand fast bowler Lockie Ferguson faced 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in the IPL and came away impressed. Ahead of India's tour of New Zealand, he said the left-hander's back-to-back performances earned him the call-up.

Ferguson called Sooryavanshi an unreal talent and said he's looking forward to bowling at him on home soil. He also noted that India seamer Arshdeep Singh will enjoy the extra swing and bounce available in New Zealand conditions.

India play five T20Is from October 22, five ODIs from November 4 and two Tests starting November 19 in Wellington.

The PCB has shifted two sixth-round matches of the President’s Trophy Grade-I to new grounds while the other two stay on their original dates. Ghani Glass will now meet Kingsmen Academy at the Rana Naveed Cricket Academy in Sheikhupura instead of the Imran Khan Stadium in Peshawar, with the game set for October 14-17. Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited versus Oil and Gas Development Company Limited moves from Abbottabad Stadium to the Lahore City Cricket Association Ground for the same four days.

Pakistan Television will still host Khan Research Laboratories and MIT Solutions will still host State Bank of Pakistan on October 12-15. After five rounds, Ghani Glass top the table on 20 points, State Bank of Pakistan sit second on 19, and MIT Solutions and Pakistan Television share third on 16.

Former South Africa head coach Eric Simmons has been appointed as England's Test team bowling coach by the England and Wales Cricket Board. The 64-year-old previously served as Chennai Super Kings bowling coach for seven IPL seasons and was South Africa's head coach during the 2003 ODI World Cup.

Simmons will begin his role during England's upcoming tour of South Africa from December 2026 to January 2027. He joins head coach Stephen Fleming, who was appointed earlier this year after serving as CSK head coach from 2009 to 2026.

The ECB confirmed that the coaching staff will be in place for the South Africa Test series and Australia's white-ball tour. Simmons played 23 ODIs for South Africa between 1994 and 1995 and later served as bowling consultant for the Indian men's team for two years.

Pat Cummins claimed three for 54 as Australia took a 139-run lead against South Africa at stumps on day three of the first Test in Durban. South Africa were bowled out for 284 in their first innings, with Mitchell Starc taking two for 63, Josh Hazlewood two for 54 and Nathan Lyon two for 58.

Australia scored 390 in their first innings, Matt Renshaw hitting a career-best 190. In their second innings, Australia were 33 for no loss from 5.4 overs when bad light ended play, with Nic Maddinson unbeaten on 17 and Travis Head unbeaten on 10.

David Bedingham top-scored for South Africa with 49 off 73 balls. A 52-run ninth-wicket partnership between Keshav Maharaj and Simon Harmer repaired some of the damage after South Africa slipped to 197 for eight.