Ravi Sawant, the president of the Mumbai Cricket Association, has said that N Srinivasan, the BCCI president, would be assumed guilty if he resigned now

ESPNcricinfo staff29-May-2013Ravi Sawant, the president of the Mumbai Cricket Association, has said that N Srinivasan, the BCCI president, would be assumed guilty if he resigned now since he did not resign the day Gurunath Meiyappan, his son-of-law, was arrested. Sawant also said that although the issue of conflict of interest in Srinivasan’s case was a valid one, raising it six years after the start of the IPL by some BCCI members was opportunistic.”Today, if he [Srinivasan] resigns, people will straightaway accuse him of being guilty and that is the reason he is not resigning,” Sawant told . “He is saying, ‘I will prove there is nothing against me personally.'”Sawant added that any person shouldn’t be holding two conflicting positions, but the BCCI made an exception when they allowed Srinivasan to hold his position in the board while being the managing director of India Cements, the owners of the Chennai Super Kings franchise. To bring up the issue now, Sawant said, was not correct.”The rules were already in place. First time when buying a franchise, all the rules were applicable,” he said. “That time, he was not the BCCI president. He has gone from treasurer to secretary to president. So someone should have voiced their concerns, because these rules were made to prevent certain things to happen. You are now saying those rules were there and there is a conflict of interest and he should resign. To my mind, we should retrospectively think about it, why didn’t we object to his buying a franchise.””If you are supporting the decision of him buying a team, now to make an issue out of it is not correct. All these people speaking against him now are holding positions in the board, and they have worked with him. How can you raise an issue now?”The president of the Hyderabad Cricket Association, G Vinod, said since Srinivasan was an elected president and did not intend to resign, the matter should be taken up at a working committee meeting so that all board members can discuss their positions. However, Chetan Chauhan, the vice president of the Delhi District Cricket Association, said Srinivasan should step down while Gurunath was under investigation and could return if Gurunath was absolved.

The BCCI has promised a four-day gap between Ranji Trophy league matches from the fourth round onwards in 2013-14

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Jul-2013

Ranji groups for 2013-14

Group A Mumbai (defending champions), Punjab (semi-finalists), Gujarat, Delhi, Karnataka (quarter-finalists), Orissa, Haryana, Vidarbha, Jharkhand (promoted from Group C)
Group B Saurashtra (runners-up), Services (semi-finalists, promoted from Group C), Uttar Pradesh (quarter-finalists), Railways, Baroda (quarter-finalists), Madhya Pradesh, Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan
Group C Hyderabad (relegated), Maharashtra (relegated), Andhra, Assam, Kerala, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Tripura

The BCCI has promised a four-day gap between Ranji Trophy league matches from the fourth round onwards in 2013-14. For the last few seasons, players have had to make do with a three-day break between most of the matches. This has been a cause of great discomfort for players: injuries have increased, there is no time to recover from injuries, and fast bowlers in particular have to hold back in order to make it to the next game.The BCCI has also promised that all Ranji matches will be scheduled on weekends, although it might not be possible for the five remaining matches after the third round, if the four-day gap is to be observed. The full domestic schedule will be announced on July 8.The Ranji Trophy is set to have a four-day break for Diwali after the first round. Besides, with nine teams in each group, each team gets a week off at some point during the league stage.The other significant decision made at the BCCI’s technical-committee meeting was to leave the choice of the venues for knockout matches to the grounds and pitches committee. Last season’s knockout matches were played on a home-away basis. So, if Mumbai had hosted Services in their last encounter, their semi-final now was to be played at Services’ home ground, which meant braving the Delhi chill, fog and rain. The sides struggled to finish an innings each in that game. The BCCI’s press release didn’t say the venues will necessarily be neutral, but it seems to be a departure from deciding the venue based on where the two teams last faced each other.The Under-25 four-day matches will now start a day after the Ranji games have begun so that the younger players not picked for the senior side can be released to play for their respective U-25 sides. The SG Test ball will also be used for Under-25 games as well.Among the other changes, all Deodhar Trophy matches, and the knockouts in the Ranji Trophy one-day matches, will be day-night fixtures. There will be no bonus points in the one-day matches. The Women’s teams will be divided into Elite and Plate groups for the one-day matches and T20s.

India allrounder Irfan Pathan has been ruled out of the upcoming tri-series in the West Indies due to a hamstring injury

Amol Karhadkar24-Jun-2013India allrounder Irfan Pathan has been ruled out of the upcoming tri-series in the West Indies due to a hamstring injury. He has been replaced by the right-arm seamer Shami Ahmed, who has already played five ODIs.Irfan was part of the Champions Trophy squad but did not get a game. He bowled in the warm-up match against Sri Lanka and finished with expensive figures of 0 for 45 from five overs. Irfan last played for India during the limited-overs tour of Sri Lanka in 2012 but another hamstring injury cut short his Ranji Trophy season.Shami, who represents Bengal, made his debut when Pakistan toured India for a limited-overs series in January. Shami’s inclusion is the only change to the squad, which otherwise has the same set of players who were picked for the Champions Trophy.”It is nice to be called back into the squad,” Shami told ESPNcricinfo from Kolkata hours before leaving for Jamaica, where India will open their campaign on June 30 against the hosts. “I think I fared pretty well against Pakistan and England (earlier this year) and had received encouraging feedback from my team-mates and coaching staff.”Shami made his international debut in a low-scoring ODI against Pakistan in Delhi in January. He returned with an impressive haul of 1 for 23 off nine overs, becoming the first Indian bowler to bowl four or more maiden overs on debut. The right-arm seamer, who relies more on line and length, then featured in four ODIs against England, taking three wickets.However, Shami was benched for most of the IPL, playing only three games for the Kolkata Knight Riders. Apart from the disappointment of being left out for the Champions Trophy, what hurt Shami more was the lack of faith shown on him by his franchise, having worked “really hard” and was “bowling very well” going into the IPL.”No doubt it was upsetting. But then I realised, the more you sulk, the more it hurts, so I stopped thinking about it,” Shami said. “Instead I started focusing on keeping myself fit and striving to improve in the nets and the results are there to see.”Shami had a good tour of the West Indies with the A team last year, picking up 13 wickets in three four-day matches. With India sticking to their winning combination throughout their victorious campaign in England, Shami realises that he may not get an opportunity in the tri-series unless the team management decides to rest one of the three main seamers.”All that would be in my hands is to be prepared, if and when I am asked to contribute and I am ready for that,” Shami said. “Last year’s tour to the West Indies was a memorable one for me. Let’s hope this year turns out to be no different.”

It was not exactly 624 but Kumar Sangakkara’s career-best had a similar effect as the 2006 record stand he put on with Mahela Jawaywardene against the same opposition seven years ago

The Report by Firdose Moonda20-Jul-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsKumar Sangakkara’s career-best 169 proved to be too costly for South Africa•Associated Press

It was not exactly 624 but Kumar Sangakkara’s career-best had a similar effect as the 2006 record stand he put on with Mahela Jawaywardene against the same opposition seven years ago. Sangakkara’s 169 was his 16th ODI century, the highest score by a Sri Lankan batsman at home, which sent him past Ian Bell as the second highest run-scorer in ODIs this year and took his 2013 average to 75.55. It was also the difference between the two sides at the Premadasa Stadium.Sangakkara dominated the South African attack with unusual aggression. He built his innings to a crescendo, scoring 66 runs off the first 91 balls and 103 from the next 46 and bulleted the leg side with boundaries. Almost 78% of his runs – 131 – came on the on side.He made all South African bowlers – from their seamers who persisted with the short ball to their sitting duck trio of spinners – appear ineffectual and set their batsmen a target that would require them to complete the highest successful chase at the ground. That set Sri Lanka up to subject South Africa to their second-biggest loss and begin Russell Domingo’s tenure on a difficult note.South Africa went into the fixture understaffed, with Lonwabo Tsotsobe unfit for selection and Hashim Amla missing out because of an overnight neck problem. But they also seemed underprepared despite a week of training on the island.Morne Morkel and Chris Morris bowled 19 deliveries between them in the first two overs because of the seven wides they sent down. To add insult to that ill-discipline, Morkel had Upul Tharanga dropped on nought by Alviro Petersen in the first over after the quick changed angles to round the wicket as he tried to find his line.Morris discovered his soon after and bowled Tillakaratne Dilshan for 10 but Tharanga was there to remind South Africa what an error can cost. He took advantage of any width and put on 70 with Sangakkara before inside edging onto his stumps off Morkel.Sangakkara and Jayawardene evoked even more memories of 2006 in their stint at the crease together. In their 74-run stand, Jayawardene dispatched the short ball at will while Sangakkara dealt with the spinners. Jayawardene succumbed to the pull but left Sangakkara to inflict the bulk of the damage.Sangakkara imposed his authority in the latter third of the innings. Lahiru Thirimanne scored just 17 runs in a 123-run stand with Sangakkara, who hit audacious shots like the scoop and had some fortune with his edges. Already on a magical run this year, Sangakkara took that to new heights against an attack that ran out of ideas.Thisara Perera’s cameo at the end allowed Sri Lanka to take 103 runs off the last 10 overs and saw Sri Lanka post a total South Africa were never in with a chance of chasing.Colin Ingram, opening in place of Amla, was out for a golden duck as his defences were absent against a perfect, inswinging Lasith Malinga yorker. Duminy, who was in a new role at No. 3 and playing his 100th ODI, dealt with Malinga better and hit him for two fours in the fifth over. Just as he looked good, he outside edged off Shaminda Eranga and Sangakkara reacted outstandingly to take a one-handed catch, low down.Petersen showed why he should be considered in the openers’ role more permanently with a watchful knock. Along with AB de Villiers, who was dropped by Eranga off his own bowling on 4, he made a South African challenge seem possible. De Villiers drove well and looked comfortable until Rangana Herath was brought on.Sri Lanka’s go-to man produced a delivery that angled into de VIlliers and bowled him as he played inside the line. Petersen, who was joint top-scorer on 29, was caught behind in the next over and at 75 for 4, it was only a matter of time.South Africa’s last six wickets fell for 58 runs as the middle order lacked temperament and application. That only served to worsen their record: South Africa have not won an ODI against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka since 1993 and have won only one of the 11 completed matches against the hosts they have played there. They will question their flawed strategy, especially in the spin department as they played two left-arm spinners against a top five with three left-handed batsmen and two sublime players of spin, who made them pay today.

Ryan Harris, the Australia pace bowler, is expected to be unavailable for the next 6-8 weeks, following a hamstring injury

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Aug-2013Ryan Harris, the Australia fast bowler, is expected to be unavailable for the next 6-8 weeks following a hamstring injury. The injury puts him out of contention for the Champions League T20, where he would have represented Brisbane Heat, and possibly the one-day series against India in October.According to an update from Cricket Australia, Harris was assessed on his return to Australia after suffering the injury during England’s second innings in the fifth Ashes Test at The Oval.Harris emerged as the leading wicket-taker for Australia, and the second-highest in the series, with 24 wickets in eight innings at an average of 19.58. This included a seven-wicket haul in the second innings of the fourth Test in Durham. He missed the first Test in Nottingham, but was included in the Australia squad after recovering from the heel injury he picked up in this year’s IPL.Since his international debut in 2009, Harris’ career has been interrupted by injury. He has been intermittently plagued by a chronic knee injury and fractured his ankle during the Boxing Day Test in 2010. He also suffered injuries on Australia’s tours to Sri Lanka and South Africa in 2011. A shoulder surgery before the start of the 2012-13 season ruled him out of Tests in the summer. He eased his way back to cricket by playing domestic cricket for Queensland. Harris, who played for Kings XI Punjab in this IPL, suffered an Achilles tendon injury which forced him to withdraw from the tournament.

Geoffrey Boycott’s exhortation to Yorkshire to win the Championship in their 150th anniversary season has not come to pass

David Hopps at Headingley19-Sep-2013
ScorecardGary Ballance added an unbeaten half-century after early Yorkshire losses•Getty Images

Geoffrey Boycott’s exhortation to Yorkshire to win the Championship in their 150th anniversary season has not come to pass, but even such a hard taskmaster as Boycott must conclude that their first season back in Division One has been a successful one. Or at least he will when, as seems inevitable, they complete a decent campaign by securing the runners-up spot.Jason Gillespie, Yorkshire’s coach, suggested on the day Durham won the title that second place, all things considered, would be a satisfactory end. To be absolutely certain of that they first have to avoid defeat against Middlesex and a brisk unbeaten half-century by Gary Ballance – guiding them to a lead of 212 runs with five wickets and a day remaining – took them closer to their goal. This pitch has plenty in it for the seam bowlers and it is not likely to change character.Things did not always look quite as secure for Yorkshire. Minutes after Gillespie had delivered his verdict that Yorkshire’s season had been “a fantastic achievement” they subsided to 50 for 4, only 132 ahead. It had potential for embarrassment and Adam Lyth, lbw to Corey Collymore, and Jonny Bairstow, bowled through the gate when the same bowler produced a decent nip-backer, fell in familiar fashion.Bairstow will come under prolonged discussion when England’s selectors meet to determine an Ashes party that will be announced at Lord’s on Monday. He has averaged around 30 since returning to Yorkshire’s Championship side after a less-than-satisfying Ashes series. He faces challenges primarily from Ravi Bopara as a batsman and Jos Buttler as a stand-by wicketkeeper. Nothing is certain.Ballance is also regarded by some as an outsider for England’s Ashes squad and it was Ballance who remedied Yorkshire’s position in an adventurous stand of 79 in 16 overs with Andrew Gale. If Ollie Rayner had held a chance at second slip off Tim Murtagh when Ballance was 12 and Yorkshire’s lead 153, Middlesex’s hopes of victory might have stirred.As it was, Gillespie’s words remained persuasive. “It would have been a fairytale had we got promoted and then gone on to win the title,” he said. “I think coming second is a real goal for us and if we can manage to do that at the end of this game then that would be a fantastic achievement for our players.”We’d love to be still challenging to win the County Championship but when you look at it when it’s all said and done, a team has been crowned who have won 10 out of 15 Championship games this season and all you can do is take your hat off to them. It’s an incredible effort and they deserve all the plaudits and praise that comes their way.”From our point of view it’s disappointing but we had our opportunities this year to still be in the hunt. Durham completely outplayed us at Scarborough and if we’d managed to win that, or at least save that game, we may have still found ourselves with an opportunity now but that’s not to be and all we can do is congratulate Durham.”Gillespie tweeted his congratulations to Durham and he was quick to expand on that praise. “I think Paul Collingwood is the sort of character that knows how to win. It’s interesting that he’s got a good young team there and some incredibly talented lads. Ben Stokes and Scott Borthwick are two lads, in particular, who have impressed me a lot, having not seen much of them before.”I can completely understand why they have been on England’s radar in the last couple of years and from what I’ve seen they are two very impressive cricketers and I fully expect them to play a big part in England’s future in the next decade.”Gillespie sounded anxious for Yorkshire to secure a deal with Kane Williamson, the New Zealand batsman, as an overseas player next summer. Williamson’s arrival might have coincided with Yorkshire’s loss of impetus, but he has been a model of consistency.”He has been a wonderful addition to our squad,” he said. “We will see what happens next year. He is happy here and we’ve been delighted with the way he has gone. We will have discussions with him and if he wants to do what we want to do, we will try and make that happen.”He’s a great young lad who we respect highly and in his short time at the club he has made a real impact. It is obvious what sort of player he is and maybe someone who can fulfil a really important role for us.”

Hardik Pandya’s three sixes in a 25-run penultimate over from Pawan Negi settled a rollercoaster chase for Mumbai Indians, and handed Chennai Super Kings their first defeat at home this season

The Report by Abhishek Purohit08-May-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details4:32

O’Brien: Negi was flustered under pressure

Hardik Pandya’s three sixes in a 25-run penultimate over from Pawan Negi settled a rollercoaster chase for Mumbai Indians, and handed Chennai Super Kings their first defeat at home this season.The visitors had the chase of 159 under control with an 84-run opening stand in ten overs, but R Ashwin had Parthiv Patel and Lendl Simmons caught in the deep in the 11th. Dwayne Bravo ran out Kieron Pollard in the 12th as Super Kings started their familiar fightback.The ball was turning, sharp fielders were cutting off singles, and Rohit Sharma and Ambati Rayudu were struggling to score. The asking-rate rose to two runs a ball.Rohit tried to go after Dwayne Bravo’s slower ones, and was dropped by Faf du Plessis at long-off. He tried it again in the allrounder’s next over, and Suresh Raina did not drop it at long-on.It was down to 30 off the last two overs. Decision time for MS Dhoni. His fast bowlers had conceded 0 for 64 in five overs, his spinners had taken 2 for 54 in 11. Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja had bowled out. Dhoni went for the left-arm spinner Negi, who had given ten in three overs and had revitalized Super Kings innings with an unbeaten 36 off 17.Pandya cracked three of Negi’s first four balls for straight sixes. Game all but over. Rayudu lifted the last ball for another straight six. Game definitely over.Fittingly, the game met a tumultuous end. Jadeja dropped Pandya running in from deep midwicket first ball of the last over, and Rayudu brought up the win with an edged four to third man.Dhoni later admitted it was a tactical error giving a spinner the penultimate over, but added that his hand had been forced by the performance of his fast bowlers. Mohit Sharma and Ashish Nehra had leaked runs at the start as Parthiv and Simmons raced away after Super Kings’ sluggish innings.Parthiv played a range of strokes during his 45 off 32 while Simmons bludgeoned and steered a few boundaries on his way to 38 off 31. Amid Mumbai Indians’ smooth progress, four overs from Ashwin went for only 17.Returning after missing three games with a finger injury, the offspinner proved vital again for Super Kings, his double-strike in his last over providing the opening for the hosts.It was another spinner who had revived Super Kings to a decent 158 for 5 from 108 for 4 after 16. Negi launched Marchant de Lange – playing only because Sri Lankan Lasith Malinga was not allowed to in Chennai – for three fours in the 17th over to begin the acceleration.Dhoni, once again this season, failed to connect and time too many despite facing as many as 32 balls and ended on 39. He did add 54 off 28 for the sixth wicket with Negi.Super Kings had started strongly as well, though Brendon McCullum and Dwayne Smith did not last as long as the Mumbai Indians openers. McCullum holed out to Pandya for 23 off 11 in trying to hit Vinay Kumar for a fourth successive boundary. Suresh Raina and Smith were tied down and then failed to clear Pandya in the deep. Faf du Plessis got in but fell just as Super Kings were looking to push on in the 16th.Negi provided the finish du Plessis could not, before it all came apart for him and Super Kings in that 19th over.

Five wickets for Harry Gurney – a career-best 5 for 43 in fact – ensured that the magnificent contribution of the two rookie pace bowlers, Luke Wood and Jake Ball, was made to count as Sussex were finished off in 32 overs

Jon Culley at Trent Bridge03-Jun-2015
ScorecardHarry Gurney helped hurtle the match to swift finish on the final day•PA Photos

Five wickets for Harry Gurney – a career-best 5 for 43 in fact – ensured that the magnificent contribution of the two rookie pace bowlers, Luke Wood and Jake Ball, was made to count as Sussex were finished off in 32 overs in rather a tame end to what had been a contest of fluctuating fortunes, bowled out for 150 five overs into the afternoon session on the third day of the scheduled four.It gave Nottinghamshire a first win of the season after a worryingly inconsistent start for a county seemingly laden with talented. Ball, the 24-year-old right-armer, finished with 9 for 67 from the match, 19-year-old Wood 5 for 96 plus, of course, the little matter of 153 runs – a maiden century followed by 53 in the second innings – which suggests he is more than just a promising left-arm seamer.It leaves director of cricket Mick Newell facing an unexpected selection dilemma for Nottinghamshire’s next Championship match, against Somerset at Taunton the week after next, when he will have the former Australian Test bowler Ben Hilfenhaus available after arriving to replace Vernon Philander in the overseas slot, as well as Stuart Broad, now available after being omitted from England’s one-day international squad.Someone is going to be unlucky and it is not easy to identify who. With Michael Lumb likely to return from injury to bolster the top order but with Alex Hales and James Taylor away on England duty, Newell will go with four seamers instead of three, which opens up one place.”You are probably looking at two from three of Jake, Luke and Harry,” Newell said. “We have a lot of Twenty20 cricket in June so that comes into it and Luke will only play red ball cricket, so he has a good chance. And we’ll look at where we are with Jake and Harry when that game comes around.”Jake has been terrific in this game. I’ve said before that he has been out best bowler going back to our pre-season tour and like Harry he can do well in all forms of the game, so we’ll have the option to share things round.”Mark Robinson, the Sussex cricket manager, would love a headache of that nature. With Tymal Mills, Ajmal Shahzad, Ashar Zaidi, James Anyon and Lewis Hatchett all injured, and Chris Jordan picked for the England ODI squad, his bowling resources could not be more stretched.At least Steve Magoffin appears to be unbreakable. The 35-year-old Australian took 12 wickets in this match, six in each innings, to take him to 35 for the Championship season so far. Robinson says Magoffin has yet to find a level of consistency the bowler himself believes to be satisfactory so far, although there were phases in this match when he looked close to his best. It is only the third time in his career he has taken 10 or more in a match. Goodness knows what he will achieve if he can return to peak form.Despite all the injuries, Sussex went into this match only 18 points behind the Division One leaders with a game in hand, so they are hardly struggling. The absence of Ed Joyce undermined their potential with the bat here on a difficult wicket, yet Robinson believed it was by letting Nottinghamshire off the hook twice in the match when his bowlers were on top that cost Sussex dearly.”The young lad Wood took it away from us in the first innings and then after having them seven down for 108 to let them get near to 250 on a 150 wicket left us massively behind the eight ball,” he said.”I was disappointed that we started to feel a bit sorry for ourselves towards the end of the second day and I think that carried over a bit. But for the last four games we have played on result wickets and the batsmen are a bit shell-shocked, really, and they need to get some confidence back.”Nottinghamshire’s last three second-innings wickets went in the space of 20 balls into the morning session. Wood thick-edged Ollie Robinson to point for 53 before Samit Patel completed his first century since the corresponding match in April last year, but then the innings ended rather rapidly with Patel top-edging his next ball to be caught at point and then Ball swinging at one and getting a nick as Magoffin finished with two wickets in two balls.That gave him 6 for 50 and 12 for 159 for the match. It is the second time the Australian has taken 12 wickets in a match although not his career best. Against Somerset in 2013 he took 8 for 20 and 4 for 11.Sussex needed 310 to win but they were quickly two down as both Mike Yardy and Matt Machan were out without scoring, both leg before to Ball. In match of duplications – three six-wicket hauls, two men out the ball after reaching 100 – Ball found himself on a hat-trick for the second time in the match, and as in the first innings by taking wickets with the last ball of one over and the first of the next. Chris Nash survived but then Brendan Taylor, who had dropped Luke Wells once, held on to a second chance offered by the left-hander off Wood.Chris Nash fended off a brutish ball from Wood into the hands of short leg before Gurney began a run of five wickets in 43 balls by having Craig Cachopa caught behind, then bowling Luke Wright for 39. Jordan and Robinson went to consecutive balls, after which Magoffin and Ben Brown at least extended the contest beyond lunch, adding 52 for the ninth wicket before Magoffin missed one and Ball claimed the final scalp.Patel, now 30 and until recently the last graduate of the Nottinghamshire academy system to find a permanent home in the first team, heralded the progress of Wood and Ball.”To see the way Luke Wood played in the first innings, that’s what won us the game,” Patel said. “And he played with a lot of maturity in the second innings too.”Jake has come on leaps and bounds and the pace he has gained his crucial. If you are to survive at this level you have to have a bit of pace. People talk about us needing to bring local talent through and to see them doing so well as local lads is fantastic.”

If India lose to Bangladesh, they will drop to seventh in the Test rankings. If the Test is drawn, India will drop to 97 points but will stay above England and Pakistan. Victory will keep them at No. 3

The Preview by Mohammad Isam09-Jun-2015

Match facts

June 10-14, 2015
Start time 10am local (0400 GMT)1:57

Isam: Come equipped to fight the June heat

Big picture

Bangladesh have taken on different challenges this year and, for the most part, have produced desired results. The World Cup quarterfinal was reached and Pakistan were soundly beaten at home. Now they take on India in a one-off Test, an opponent they have often said brings the best out in the team.India are making a fresh start as Virat Kohli begins his stint as full-time Test captain. The make-up of the team is similar to the one that was beaten 2-0 in Australia, but the two drawn games in that series was encouragement for a team finding its feet.In seven Tests in Bangladesh, India have won six and drawn one. And because of the lack of big-ticket appeal of touring Bangladesh, India have not visited since 2010. They might field an XI comprising five batsmen, a wicketkeeper and five bowlers, but given the conditions selecting a sixth batsman will not be a conservative choice. Bangladesh, on the other hand, have picked eight batsmen often in the last 12 months, with allrounder Shuvagata Hom playing a bits-and-pieces role at No 8.Bangladesh have less to lose from this series than India. If India lose to Bangladesh, they will drop to seventh in the ICC Test rankings, with 95 points. If the match is drawn, India will drop to 97 points but will stay above England and Pakistan. Victory will earn them one point and keep them at No. 3.

Form guide

Bangladesh LDWWW (last five matches, most recent first)
India DDLLL

In the spotlight

Shakib Al Hasan did not bowl well against Pakistan but made two important contributions with the bat. He will once again be relied upon to lead a lop-sided bowling attack and to be the middle-order enforcer while batting.Cheteshwar Pujara averaged 52.44 in seven first-class matches for Saurashtra and Yorkshire this year with two hundreds and a fifty. It is a good set of numbers for someone who was dropped from India’s last Test and who missed the IPL after being released by Kings XI Punjab.

Team news

Bangladesh need to decide whether Mushfiqur Rahim, who was injured during the series against Pakistan, can keep wickets. If not, Litton Das will make his debut as a wicketkeeper. The other decision is whether to pick both seamers Mohammad Shahid and Rubel Hossain. If there is space for just one, then Rubel has the edge. They are also without Mahmudullah, who was injured in practice in the lead up to the Test.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Imrul Kayes, 3 Mominul Haque, 4 Mushfiqur Rahim (capt), 5 Litton Das (wk), 6 Shakib Al Hasan, 7 Soumya Sarkar, 8 Shuvagata Hom/Mohammad Shahid, 9 Jubair Hossain, 10 Taijul Islam, 11 Rubel HossainShikhar Dhawan and Cheteshwar Pujara will replace KL Rahul, who is ill, and Suresh Raina from the XI India fielded in Sydney in January. Seamers Ishant Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Varun Aaron are competing for one spot, as are spinners Karn Sharma and Harbhajan Singh.India (probable): 1 M Vijay, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Cheteshwar Pujara, 4 Virat Kohli (capt), 5 Ajinkya Rahane, 6 Rohit Sharma, 7 Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 8 R Ashwin, 9 Harbhajan Singh/Karn Sharma, 10 Ishant Sharma/Bhuvneshwar Kumar/Varun Aaron, 11 Umesh Yadav

Pitch and conditions

Fatullah hosted more than 120 matches in the 2014-15 domestic season but the pitch is unlikely to show wear and tear early in the game. It is bound by grass, which has surprised the Bangladesh coach Chandika Hathurusingha, but Mominul Haque said it was on the slower side. It has been hot and humid in Fatullah for the last couple of weeks and rain is forecast over the next few days.

Stats and trivia

• From the current squads, five Bangladesh players have played a Test against India, while only three Indians have played Bangladesh.
• Tamim Iqbal is seven away from toppling Habibul Bashar’s tally of 3026 runs as the highest Test aggregate for Bangladesh
• Rubel Hossain has never played a first-class match in Fatullah.

Quotes

“I have never seen a wicket like this.”
“I have some vision in my mind which I have discussed with the team. We are all on the same page. It is pretty exciting for me to start as full-time Test captain and hopefully it is a positive start.”

Younis Khan’s epic, unbeaten 171 led Pakistan to their highest successful chase, the second highest in Asia for any side, and the sixth-highest in all Test cricket

The Report by Abhishek Purohit07-Jul-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details6:20

Bazid: Even Younis will rate it as one of his finest knocks

Younis Khan’s epic, unbeaten 171 led Pakistan to their highest successful chase, the second highest in Asia for any side, and the sixth highest in all Test cricket. It also gave them their first series win in Sri Lanka since 2006, and catapulted them to third in the ICC Test rankings.The feat required the highest fourth-innings partnership for Pakistan, 242 between Younis and Shan Masood, who fell on the fifth morning for 125. Misbah-ul-Haq arrived with 122 needed, saw off Sri Lanka’s quicks till lunch, and opened up after that to reel off an unbeaten 59, finishing the match with a six.Sri Lanka’s fast bowlers put in a spirited effort, especially with the second new ball, but could not break down Younis and Misbah.Pakistan needed 147 more at the start of the day, and Masood and Younis’ record partnership grew by 25 before the former fell to his nerves. Masood had been tied down by Sri Lanka’s accuracy, and was itching to break free. No release was provided by Angelo Mathews and the specialist seamers. When the offspinner Tharindu Kaushal was introduced in the 11th over of the morning, Masood, eyeing some runs, jumped out, but was beaten by the turn to be stumped.Sri Lanka’s specialist spinner had begun promisingly after a wayward return of 0 for 92 in 20 overs on day four, but again, he failed to sustain the pressure. He did shift his line wider outside off and spun it in sharply with men waiting in the leg trap, but was too inconsistent with his lengths. Misbah and Younis used the sweep frequently, and put away the regular full tosses with ease.It was a different story against the quicks. The first boundary of the day came only in the tenth over, when Younis forced an edge through the vacant slip region off Nuwan Pradeep.There was little in the pitch by way of variable bounce to suggest it was a day-five subcontinent wicket. Despite their discipline at the start, Sri Lanka were dependent on the new ball. Pakistan needed 101 more when it was taken, and they had the personnel in the middle to get them through.Misbah was happy to deny himself against the new ball, going 22 balls without a run. Batting on a big hundred, Younis was eager to move across and play as much as he could. There was an unsuccessful review for leg-before against Younis, on 128, by Dhammika Prasad, replays returning umpire’s call for points of impact on pad and stumps.As Mathews tried Kaushal again at the stroke of lunch, Misbah stepped out to lift him over mid-on. Sri Lanka’s challenge fell apart after lunch, Misbah and Younis raining boundaries on the hapless Kaushal, who had played ahead of veteran Rangana Herath, and was to end with figures of 1 for 153 in 31 overs.The winning runs came again from Misbah’s bat, as they had come during their Sharjah chase of 302 against Sri Lanka in 2014. Younis ended with the fifth-highest score in a chase.