January 3 was a whirlwind day. Several India-Bangladesh-related cricket events took place. We had several developments in the Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT). The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) also announced its squad for the New Zealand series.
BCCI takes bold Mustafizur Rahman step
Following the uproar over Mustafizur Rahman potentially playing in IPL 2026, the BCCI instructed KKR to release him. However, this was just the first domino to fall. The recently confirmed India white-ball tour of Bangladesh in September 2026 was put on hold. Then, we heard that the Bangladesh Cricket Board is deliberating whether they should travel to India for the T20 World Cup 2026, as they are scheduled to play group stage matches in Kolkata.
No Hardik Pandya in ODIs
Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, and Mohammed Siraj have returned to India’s ODI team. BCCI named the 15-man side, with Ruturaj Gaikwad, Tilak Varma, and Dhruv Jurel going out. Shreyas will only participate if he’s granted a fitness clearance for the Centre of Excellence. BCCI also mentioned that Hardik Pandya has been advised against bowling 10 overs in a day. Therefore, he wasn’t considered for selection.
Shreyas Iyer injury update
Shreyas Iyer has cleared one of his two Return to Play (RTP) match simulations. The Indian ODI vice-captain will join the Mumbai squad for their VHT fixture against Himachal Pradesh on January 6. The game will serve as the second and final match simulation. If he doesn’t have an issue there, he’ll be cleared to play the India vs New Zealand ODI series.
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Shubman Gill skips VHT match
Shubman Gill’s VHT return has been delayed. The Indian Test and ODI captain was pulled out of Punjab’s round five match against Sikkim but was pulled out after feeling unwell. He had food poisoning and couldn’t rest properly the night before. Gill was advised to rest and skipped the game.
Shami shamefully treated?
After Mohammed Shami wasn’t selected in India’s squad for the New Zealand series, Bengal head coach Laxmi Ratan Shukla criticised the selection committee. The former Indian cricketer stated that the selectors had done injustice to Shami and labelled his snubbing as shameful.
Samson smashes comeback hundred
Sanju Samson, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Devdutt Padikkal, and Tilak Varma all struck hundreds in the fifth round of VHT. Barring Padikkal, all of them were playing their first VHT match of the season. In fact, it was Samson’s first List A match since he scored his hundred in December 2023 against South Africa. Harshit Rana, Rishabh Pant, and Arshdeep Singh also put in good performances.
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Devdutt Padikkal realistic on India call-up, says 'many batters in the line'
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