AUS vs IND: Twitter lit up with praise of Ajinkya Rahane's hundred at MCG

AUS vs IND: Mitchell Starc reaches milestone of 250 Test wickets

Australian pacer Mitchell Starc claimed his 250th Test wickets on the second day of the Boxing Day Test at the MCG. He reached the milestone dismissing Indian wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant caught by his captain Tim Paine. His achievement has come in the 509th Test, at an astounding average-strike rate combination of 26.68 and 47.9 respectively. With the wicket of pant, Starc has entered the elite club of Australian bowlers to have taken 250 or more Test wickets and he becomes the only 9th man to do so. The fastest bowler to reach the milestone was Dennis Lille who reached the 25-mark in 48 Tests, while both Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne was the second-fastest to the 250 wickets landmark in 55 Tests. However, Starc’s strike rate of 47.9 is significantly better than his predecessors. On the second day of the Test, India surpassed the first innings total of Australia--195 and Starc’s wicket came in handy for the host as Pant was threatening to take the game away from the hosts.

Shadab Khan ruled out for six weeks, will miss home series against Proteas

Pakistan vice-captain for the limited-overs, Shadab Khan has been ruled out of the ongoing Test series against New Zealand also for the upcoming home series for the Men in Green against South Africa. The development has been made because of the injury sustained by the stand-in captain during the third and final T20I of the three-match series against New Zealand at McLean Park, Napier. The doctors after the conduction of MRI scans on Shadab in Tauranga on Thursday, advised the spin-bowling all-rounder to take six-week rest for a speedy recovery. Pakistan team doctor Sohail Saleem speaking about Shadab’s situation said, “The MRI reports have confirmed it is a fresh injury and not the one that had sidelined him from the Zimbabwe series last month.” “The latest injury will be treated conservatively and Shadab will undergo a six-week rehabilitation program during which he will have weekly ultrasound scans. After the competition of the six-week period, the medical panel will access and evaluate the injury before making a call on Shadab’s return to competitive cricket.” added the doctor. Zafar Gohar, a left-arm spinner, who has done exceedingly well in Pak domestic cricket has been named as Shadab’s replacement in the team.

Shikhar Dhawan to lead Delhi in Mushtaq Ali Trophy; Ishant also in the squad

Ace Indian speedster Ishant Sharma is all set to make a comeback to competitive cricket after being picked into the 42 members strong Delhi Team’s squad for the upcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament. The announcement was made by the newly appointed selection committee for the senior team of the Delhi and District Cricket Association. The selectors made experienced opener Shikhar Dhawan the captain of the team. Senior players like Pradeep Sangwan, Nitish Rana, and Unmukt Chand have also been named in the squad alongside young guns like Manjot Kalra and Lalit Yadav. The Delhi team has been drafted into Group E of the Mushtaq Ali trophy along with the likes of Mumbai, Puducherry, Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, and Kerala and begin its campaign against arch-rivals Mumbai on 11th January. All the games of Group E will be played in Mumbai. First, of this season’s domestic tournaments, the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy begins on 10th December with the first round of games of Group A taking place in Bengaluru. The Indian domestic season has been marred by the covid-19 and thus a delayed domestic season might not see Ranji Trophy this year, also no confirmation in this regard has yet been intimated by the BCCI.

Hyderabad proud of Mohammed Siraj’s brilliant India debut

The 26-year-old from Tolichowki, Hyderabad gave all the reasons for all Hyderabadis to feel proud as their own boy picked two crucial wickets on debut for Team India against the mighty Aussies. Mohammed Siraj’s first outing at Melbourne Cricket Ground was hailed by one and all. Although still in mourning due to his father Mohammaed Ghouse’s death, the family of the Indian quick did not celebrate the moment but was happy with the achievement of their son. “The family is still in mourning and hence the mood is a bit mellowed. But all of us got up in the morning and watched the match,” Mohd Sameer, maternal brother of Siraj as well as a professional cricketer was quoted as saying to Times of India. “It is a dream come true not only for Siraj but for all of us here. We are happy that Siraj made his Test debut. His father always wanted to see him play a Test match, it would have been really wonderful, if he were still alive,” he added. It’s not just the family, the entire city is jubilant and full of stories of Siraj and how and where he played cricket. “Siraj was a brought young boy without any bad habits or vices. He was all about cricket, even though it got him into real trouble at home. But he never gave up on the game. All his friends are still from the Eid Gaah ground,” said one Shaik Abbas, who used to be Siraj’s neighbor when he lived in a rented house before debuting for Hyderabad. Along with the common people, even the seniors of Siraj are happy for what he has achieved. “I always feel Siraj is a better red bowler than the white ball. He always hits the right lengths and forces batsmen to commit mistakes. His lengths might be bad in white-ball cricket, but for red ball, it’s just perfect,” Pragyan Ojha, former India, and Hyderabad spin bowler said. “I am happy for him as a fellow Hyderabad cricketer, now it’s up to him to stay fit and longer his career,” Ojha added. Siraj finished his first innings of the first Test with figures of 2-40 in 15 overs.