EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE THE HINDU DELHI FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2019 SPORT 19 EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE Gill gets the nod; Rohit to open in Rahul’s place A belated birthday gift Getting into the Test squad is a big It is unfortunate that some of these players have gone out of the side purely on form: Prasad thing for any youngster, says Gill INDIA SQUAD M.R. Praveen Chandran The India-A Thiruvananthapuram <> UTHRA GANESAN captaincy was a NEW DELHI For Shubman Gill, the big honour for me. Shubman Gill got his long­ biggest and most valuable I have been awaited Test call­up and K.L. birthday gift came after learning all the Rahul was asked to get back four days — the call­up to time. This has been among the runs as the BCCI the Indian Test squad for named its 15­member Test the series against South a new experience squad for the upcoming Africa. for me. I should three­match series against The 20­year­old Punjab thank the selectors South Africa here on batsman celebrated his for having faith in Thursday. birthday on the eve of his me The selectors also decided captaincy debut against Shubman Gill to try Rohit Sharma as open­ the visiting South Africa­A, er in the longer format, a slot on Sept. 8. he said. that has seen quite a few clai­ “The India­A captaincy mants being tested and fall­ Dream debut was a big honour for me. I ing short in the last couple of Gill had a dream debut as have been learning all the years. Rohit will be also be captain, leading India­A to time. This has been a new leading the Board President’s a seven­wicket win against experience for me. I side in the warm­up game South Africa­A. But even should thank the selectors ahead of the series. after the victory, the for having faith in me,” he “Rohit has been opening ahead for the likes of Vijay or youngster had looked a added. in white ball cricket for more Rahul, Prasad was categori­ tad disappointed for India­A coach Sitanshu than a decade now and we all cal. “When V.V.S. Laxman having missed out on a Kotak wasn’t surprised by think he has the ability to bat Hard work pays: Shubman Gill has been in good nick and has been rewarded with a place in the Test squad.* SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT was dropped, he went back century. It is now a thing Gill’s selection. “The up the order. He was keen to domestic cricket, got 1400 of the past as he has selectors had something and we also want to give him his task cut out, but Prasad both the openers in the side player for all three formats,” first choice wicketkeeper in runs, returned to the side broken into the Test squad in their mind when they some opportunities to bat up was clear that the change constantly and that helped Prasad added. the series, Prasad put the and never looked back. for the first time. made him the captain of the order in Tests and see was not merely for experi­ him get more opportunities. onus on the team That’s it.” The first Test will “Getting selected for the ‘A’ side. where he stands. mentation. “It is unfortunate But Rahul was delivering on­ Pressure on Pant management. be played at Visakhapatnam the Test squad is a big “He did a good job and that some of these guys (Shik­ ly in patches, not consistent­ While the likes of Umesh Ya­ “Rishabh is definitely from October 2. thing for any youngster showed maturity as Big boost har Dhawan, M. Vijay) have ly,” Prasad clarified. dav and Hardik Pandya (main) to begin with but let’s Board President’s XI squad like me. I am excited. I captain. I would be lying if “If he can do that in red ball gone out of the side purely Prasad was also hopeful of found themselves out of the leave it to how the team man­ against South Africa XI (Sept. wouldn’t say I wasn’t I say I am surprised at his 26­28): Rohit Sharma (Capt.), also nothing like that, and on form. Gill proving himself. “He has side purely because of the agement thinks. We need a expecting it. But these are selection. Mayank Agarwal, Priyank Pan­ since we have a lot of Tests “Everyone was given a fair done well, both as an opener team’s requirements at home ’keeper with some more chal, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Ka­ things you don’t want to “He has been scoring coming up, it will be a boost run, so was KL. He is an ex­ and in the middle­order, so — with only two seamers like­ skills while playing at home,” run Nair, Siddhesh Lad, K.S. bother about when you runs in all forms of the to the side,” chief selector ceptional talent, but unfortu­ he can be a backup for both ly to play — it may not be easy was all he said, indicating Bharat (wk), Jalaj Saxena, Dhar­ are playing. Honestly, I game, so he deserves it,” M.S.K. Prasad said. nately his form has dipped. slots. But as he keeps play­ for Rishabh Pant to retain his that the youngster needed to mendrasinh Jadeja, Avesh Khan, was focused on what I was the former Saurashtra Rohit’s inclusion comes at With seniors like Shikhar also ing, he will get more oppor­ place. While refusing to com­ work a lot more on his game. Ishan Porel, Shardul Thakur and doing on the cricket field,” batsman said. the cost of Rahul, who has not there you cannot change tunities because he is a ment on who would be the Asked about the road Umesh Yadav. All this talk about Dhoni retiring Seven-wicket victory for India-A ‘Will tap Miller, de Kock’s IPL has no basis, says M.S.K. Prasad SA-A IN INDIA experience’ M.R. Praveen Chandran Special Correspondent Thiruvananthapuram Press Trust of India New Delhi Shivam Dube strode up to Dharamshala It all started with an innocu­ the wicket and struck two Vice­captain Rassie van der ous tweet from Virat Kohli, consecutive sixes off Dane Dussen, on Wednesday, and soon blew up into yet Piedt to signal India­A’s se­ said that a new­look South another round of specula­ ven­wicket win over South African team will be rely­ tion about whether M.S. Africa­A in the first unofficial ing a lot on IPL regulars Dhoni had decided to call it a Test here on Thursday. Quinton de Kock and David day. It took a categorical dis­ Needing 48 to lead the Miller to put up a competi­ missal from the Indian selec­ two Test series, India­A tive performance against tors to be put to rest. achieved the target in 9.4 ov­ formidable India in the “A game I can never for­ ers, losing three wickets. T20I series beginning here get. Special night. This man, But before Dube hit the on Sunday. made me run like in a fitness winning runs, South Afri­ De Kock will captain the test” Kohli tweeted, tagging ca­A made the hosts earn team in the absence of Faf Dhoni in a photograph. It their runs. Captain Shub­ du Plessis, who will be in was a throwback to a World man Gill (10) began with a India for the Test series. T20 game against Australia elegant cover drive. He was Van der Dussen, who in Mohali in 2016 when Kohli unfortunate as the rival bow­ Player of the match: Jalaj Saxena scored an unbeaten 61 in impressed in the 50­over and Dhoni shared an unbea­ The picture of many words:Kohli’s throwback to the game against Australia in which he shared lers appear to have reserved the first innings and picked up two wickets in South Africa­A’s World Cup in an otherwise ten 67­run stand for the fifth an unbeaten 67­run stand for the fifth wicket with Dhoni triggered an ‘avalanche’.* KOHLI/TWITTER their best deliveries for him. second essay. * SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT forgettable tournament for wicket. But it ended up the Proteas, has been ele­ DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD creating a virtual buzz DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD Ngidi’s impressive spell Earlier, the South African 13; Total (in 58.5 overs): 186. vated as vice­captain less around whether Dhoni had Gill was bowled by a peach innings lasted just 3.5 overs. Fall of wickets: 1­4, 2­14, 3­38, than a year after he made B ‘It’s called rumours !’ Dhoni has nothing left 4­52, 5­94, 6­168, 7­169, 8­ informed the Indian skipper Dhoni’s wife Sakshi’s tweet from Lungi Ngidi. The ball Shardul Thakur cleaned up his debut. 170, 9­178. about his future plans. in an apparent reference to swung in late and eluded the Lutho Sipamla (8) as the vis­ “Quinton and David India­A bowling: Siraj 11­1­ “This was as much news the development to achieve: Anand opener’s defensive blade to itors were all out for 186. have played a lot of cricket 36­1, Shardul 8.5­2­32­2, Na­ to us as anyone else. We DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD disturb the timber. The big The scores in India. We will look to Press Trust of India deem 16­4­21­3, Dube 4­0­ opened our phones and sud­ fan following. He had South African bowled an im­ South Africa­A — 1st innings: feed off them and ask them Kolkata 14­0, Gowtham 11­1­52­1, Jalaj denly we saw all this talk since the team bowed out of achieved everything which pressive spell and had An­ 164.