Islamabad [Pakistan], July 27 (ANI): Pakistan's President Arif Alvi in the wee hours of Wednesday at the Aiwan-e-Sadar administered the oath to Pervez Elahi as the new Chief Minister of Punjab.

Pant reached this landmark during the fifth and final Test against England at Edgbaston on Friday

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], March 13 (ANI): India have set Sri Lanka a mammoth target of 447 runs and the visitors are 28/1 at stumps on day-2 needing 419 more runs to win with 9 wickets in hand here at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Sri Lanka were 86-6 in their first innings at stumps, trailing by 166 runs against India on the opening day of the second and final Test (pink ball game) at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. Niroshan Dickwella (13 off 29) and Lasith Embuldeniya (0) were unbeaten at the crease at the end of the day’s play in Bengaluru. After […]

Mohali (Punjab) [India], March 4 (ANI): Rishabh Pant's belligerent knock of 96 and Hanuma Vihari's 58 along with contributions from Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja helped hosts score 357/6 at stumps on day-1 here at the PCA IS Bindra stadium.

Mohali (Punjab) [India], March 4 (ANI): Visitors made a comeback in the post-lunch session as they got the prized scalps of Virat Kohli and Hanuma Vihari but the hosts are still in a strong position scoring 199/4 going into Tea here at the PCA IS Bindra stadium.

New Delhi Feb 28 PTI Rohit Sharmas first Test as captain will also usher in a new era for Indias middle-order with Shubman Gill and Hanuma Vihari all set to become long-term replacements of veterans Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane It is now clear that Rahane and Pujara wont be called for the three Tests this season two against Sri Lanka and one away game against England where Vihari and Gill along with Shreyas Iyer as back-up will be the options There are two vacant spots from the last Test that India played in Cape Town and as Virat Kohli plays his 100th Test at Mohali the three youngsters will be preparing for a long haul in the spots vacated by the two veterans after having made those their own for a decade But the bigger question is who will be the one left out if all three are fit going into the first Test starting March 4 Since Gill is raring to go head coach Rahul Dravid will perhaps like to use him as a middle-order batter who can also be an enforcer if the situation demands There is a distinct possibility that Gill might be used at number three behind Rohit Sharma and Mayank Agarwal I believe Shubman is Indias best bet at number three Yes he has opened but Mayank is there alongside Rohit and Shubman has the game to bat at that number former national selector and Test opener Devang Gandhi told PTI Gandhi who was the national selector till January 2021 also said that Gill was initially being prepared for a middle-order role before he made his Test debut as an opener in Australia Why I feel the team management might be inclined to try him at No3 is because when we fast-tracked him into India A system he had a double hundred in the middle-order against West Indies A in West Indies Also having already opened in Tests as No3 he can also play the new ball well and start moving the game with his repertoire of strokes You dont want to get bogged down and with Gill he can start pushing the envelope Gandhi explained While Rahane was primarily a number five batter there is a possibility that Dravid and Rohit might be inclined to use Vihari at No6 and send the dangerous Rishabh Pant at No5 for variation If you see our top-order Mayank Rohit Shubman and Virat are all right handers Its better if at No5 we have a left-hander to get the left-right combination going followed by Vihari at No6 and Ravindra Jadeja again a left-hander at No7 It could be the way forward Gandhi feels But what could be the rationale of using a player like Vihari at No6 and not at No3 as his technique is closer to that of Pujara who used to blunt the new ball Firstly Vihari has played only one Test at home and he above everyone else deserves a fair run Secondly if you see for India and India A he has batted at No5 abroad but in India he can come in at No6 when spinners will be in operation and the SG Test ball becomes relatively old Vihari has a fantastic record against spinners in Ranji Trophy and thats something the team management can exploit he felt So where does it leave Iyer who scored a hundred on debut Perhaps he would need to wait He isnt Rohit and Dravids first choice as both Gill and Vihari played Test cricket before him and are currently ahead in the pecking order But if anyone reports unfit he is certainly going to be the next in line Possible Team Combination Rohit Sharma captain Mayank Agarwal Shubman Gill Virat Kohli Rishabh Pant wk Hanuma Vihari Ravindra Jadeja Ravichandran Ashwin fitnessJayant Yadav Jasprit Bumrah Mohammed Shami Mohammed Siraj PTI KHS PM PM PM

Johannesburg [South Africa], January 5 (ANI): South Africa need 206 runs to win the second Test against India with seven sessions left in the match here at The Wanderers in Johannesburg.

Bloemfontein [South Africa], December 7 (ANI): Wicket-keeper batter Ishan Kishan and Hanuma Vihari hit the fifties after India folded South Africa for 268 in the first innings of the third unofficial Test here on Tuesday.

Bloemfontein [South Africa], December 2 (ANI): India A bowling once again put on an impressive show with the ball before bad light cut short the play on Day 3 of the second four-day game in Bloemfontein on Thursday.