August 31, 2024

Samit Dravid Selected for India Under-19 Team

Mohamed Amaan and Soham Patwardhan have been appointed captains for India’s Under-19 teams in the upcoming series against Australia Under-19. Amaan, a middle-order batter from Uttar Pradesh, will lead the 50-over squad. At the same time, Soham Patwardhan from Madhya Pradesh will captain the team in the four-day matches.

Allrounder Samit Dravid, son of former India captain and coach Rahul Dravid, has been selected for the Under-19 squad for the first time. Recently, Samit participated in his first senior men’s T20 tournament, the Maharaja T20 Trophy in Karnataka, where he played for the Mysuru Warriors.

Batting in the middle-order, Samit Dravid scored 82 runs at a strike rate 114 across seven innings in the Maharaja T20 Trophy. However, he didn’t get a chance to bowl his medium pace. On the day India’s Under-19 squad was announced, his team, Mysuru Warriors, was set to play in the tournament’s semi-final.

Earlier this year, 18-year-old Dravid played a crucial role in Karnataka’s victory in the Cooch Behar Trophy, a four-day tournament for under-19 cricketers. He scored 362 runs and took 16 wickets in eight matches, including two in the final against Mumbai.

India Under-19 will face Australia Under-19 in three 50-over matches in Puducherry on September 21, 23, and 26. This will be followed by two four-day games in Chennai starting on September 30 and October 7.

India U-19 50-Over Squad

Rudra Patel (Vice-Captain, Gujarat Cricket Association), Sahil Parakh (Maharashtra Cricket Association), Kartikeya KP (Karnataka State Cricket Association), Mohamed Amaan (Captain, Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association), Kiran Chormale (Maharashtra Cricket Association), Abhigyan Kundu (Wicketkeeper, Mumbai Cricket Association), Harvansh Singh Pangalia (Wicketkeeper, Saurashtra Cricket Association), Samit Dravid (Karnataka State Cricket Association), Yudhajit Guha (Cricket Association of Bengal), Samarth N (Karnataka State Cricket Association), Nikhil Kumar (Uttarakhand Cricket Association), Chetan Sharma (Rajasthan Cricket Association), Hardik Raj (Karnataka State Cricket Association), Rohit Rajawat (Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association), Mohammed Enaan (Kerala Cricket Association).

India U-19 Four-Day Squad

Vaibhav Suryavanshi (Bihar Cricket Association), Nitya Pandya (Baroda Cricket Association), Vihan Malhotra (Vice-Captain, Punjab Cricket Association), Soham Patwardhan (Captain, Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association), Kartikeya KP (Karnataka State Cricket Association), Samit Dravid (Karnataka State Cricket Association), Abhigyan Kundu (Wicketkeeper, Mumbai Cricket Association), Harvansh Singh Pangalia (Wicketkeeper, Saurashtra Cricket Association), Chetan Sharma (Rajasthan Cricket Association), Samarth N (Karnataka State Cricket Association), Aditya Rawat (Cricket Association of Uttarakhand), Nikhil Kumar (Uttarakhand Cricket Association), Anmoljeet Singh (Punjab Cricket Association), Aditya Singh (Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association), Mohammed Enaan (Kerala Cricket Association).

Shan Masood Scores Fast Fifty in Partnership with Saim Ayub

Pakistan lost Abdullah Shafique in the first over of the second Test against Bangladesh in Rawalpindi. Despite this early setback, Shan Masood and Saim Ayub steadied the innings, guiding Pakistan to 100 for 1 by lunch on day two.

As the second session approaches, Bangladesh will be looking for early wickets while also keeping an eye on their over rate. They bowled only 25 overs in the first session, which lasted two hours and 15 minutes.

The match, now reduced to a four-day Test after rain washed out the first day, resumed under warm and sunny conditions on Saturday. With moisture still on the pitch, Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto decided to bowl first.

Taskin Ahmed, returning from a shoulder injury, made the most of the conditions. After bowling five outswingers to Shafique, he got the final delivery of the over to nip back off the seam. Unprepared for the movement, Shafique left a gap between his bat and pad, and the ball went through to bowl him.

Taskin Ahmed and Hasan Mahmud kept Saim Ayub quiet by bowling primarily from around the wicket. Ayub struggled early, reaching just 4 runs off 25 balls, but broke free by hitting three fours in his next 11 deliveries. On the other hand, Shan Masood was aggressive from the start, helping the pair reach a fifty-run partnership in just 68 balls.

Although the Bangladesh seamers created some chances, none resulted in wickets. Nahid Rana struck Masood on the thumb with a short ball, but when he tried the same tactic against Ayub, the opener pulled him for a six over deep square leg.

As the day went on, the pitch became more accessible to bat on. Just before lunch, Masood reached his half-century off 54 balls, with most of his runs coming from quick singles and twos—he only hit two fours in his first 50 runs.

At the toss, Masood mentioned that Pakistan had “rested” Naseem Shah for this Test. With Shaheen Shah Afridi also absent, Pakistan’s four frontline bowlers had a combined experience of just 16 Tests, with legspinner Abrar Ahmed, who has played six Tests, being the most experienced among them.