Established in 1958, the Barabati Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium located in Cuttack, Odisha.

Operated by the Odisha Cricket Association, the Cuttack stadium is used for cricket, football, hockey and also for live concerts.

It is one of the oldest cricket grounds in India, having hosted several touring teams including the MCC, the West Indies and Australian cricket teams before it staged its first international match in the 1980s.

The venue hosted its first international match between India and England in the ODI format in January 1982. Since then, it has staged 19 ODIs, two Tests and as many T20I international matches.

The Barabati Stadium has also hosted seven Indian T20 League matches and fixtures of the now-defunct Odisha Premier League. It was also one of the grounds which hosted the 2013 Women's Cricket World Cup.

The 48,000-seat stadium also has an indoor cricket hall named after India cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar.

T20I cricket will return to the Barabati Stadium after four years as the Indian cricket team will host South Africa on June 12. The last time India played a T20I match in Cuttack, the hosts thrashed Sri Lanka by 93 runs.

However, India had suffered a six-wicket loss against South Africa in their first T20I match at Barabati Stadium in 2015.

Ahead of the T20I between India and South Africa, let’s have a look at the T20 records at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack.

Barabati Stadium T20I Records

Highest total: India posted the highest team total against Sri Lanka at Barabati Stadium in Cuttack in 2017. Put into bat, the hosts rode on KL Rahul’s 48-ball 61 and MS Dhoni’s unbeaten 38 off 22 balls to register 180/3 in their allotted 20 overs. In reply, Sri Lanka were bundled out for 87 as India secured a massive 93-run victory.

Lowest total: Sri Lanka holds the unwanted record of recording the lowest team total at Barabati Stadium. Chasing a competitive total of 180, the visitors were bowled out for 87. Leg spinner Yuzvendra Chahal was the wrecker-in-chief for India as he picked up four wickets for 23 runs in his quota of four overs. India all-rounder Hardik Pandya also bagged three wickets in the match.

Highest individual score: India opening batter KL Rahul has registered the highest individual T20I score against Sri Lanka at the venue in 2017. The right-handed batter smashed 61 off just 48 balls to help India post 180/3 in their allotted 20 overs. Rahul’s impressive knock was laced with seven fours and one six.

Best bowling figures: India spinner Yuzvendra Chahal has the best bowling figures at Barabati Stadium in the shortest format. The leg spinner claimed four wickets for just 23 runs against Sri Lanka in a T20 match in 2017. 

Most runs: KL Rahul has also scored the most runs at this venue in T20I format. The swashbuckling right-handed batter has accumulated 61 runs at a strike rate of 127.08. Former India captain MS Dhoni is second in the list with 44 runs.

Most wickets: Yuzvendra Chahal has picked the most wickets at Barabati Stadium in T20I format. The leg-spinner has picked four wickets at this venue at an impressive economy of 5.75.

Highest partnership: India middle-order batters MS Dhoni and Manish Pandey have the highest partnership at this venue in the shortest format. The duo recorded an unbeaten 68-run partnership for the fourth wicket against Sri Lanka in 2017.

Barabati Stadium T20 Records

Highest total: The Bengal cricket team has scored the highest team total against Arunachal Pradesh at Barabati Stadium in T20 cricket. During a Syed Mushtaq Ali group match in 2019, Bengal rode on opener Wriddhiman Saha’s 129 off 62 balls and Vivek Singh’s 18-ball 49 to post 234/6 in their allotted 20 overs. In response, Arunachal Pradesh could only manage 127/4 in their 20 overs as Bengal secured a 107-run victory.

Lowest total: The Mizoram cricket team posted the lowest T20 total against Bengal at this venue in the shortest format. Chasing a massive target of 222, Mizoram were skittled out for 62. Leg-spinner Prayas Barman was the standout bowler for Bengal as he picked three wickets for just 14 runs in his three overs.

Highest individual score: Bengal wicket-keeper batter Wriddhiman Saha holds the record for the highest individual score at Barabati Stadium in T20 cricket. Saha smashed 62-ball 129 against Arunachal Pradesh in a Syed Mushtaq Ali group match in 2019. Saha’s scintillating innings included 16 fours and four maximums.

Best bowling figures: Karnataka leg-spinner Shreyas Gopal has the best bowling figures against Arunachal Pradesh at this venue in domestic T20 cricket. Gopal claimed five wickets for just 11 runs in his 3.4 overs to help Karnataka secure a 146-run win in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in 2019.

Most runs: Bengal’s Wriddhiman Saha has accumulated the most runs at Barabati Stadium in T20 cricket. The swashbuckling right-handed batter has amassed 319 runs in the shortest format, including his highest score of 129 against Arunachal Pradesh.

Most wickets: Former Bengal pacer Ashok Dinda has picked the most wickets at Barabati Stadium in domestic T20 cricket. Dinda bagged 12 wickets at this venue - the most by any bowler at this venue in the shortest format.

Highest partnership: Now defunct Deccan franchise batters Cameron White and Kumar Sangakkara recorded the highest partnership at Barabati Stadium in T20 cricket. Playing against the Pune franchise in the Indian T20 League in 2012, White and Sangakkara forged a 157-run partnership for the third wicket. Deccan won the match by 13 runs.

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Featured photo: Dibyangshu SARKAR / AFP

Senior sports journalist Boria Majumdar on Saturday accused veteran India cricketer Wriddhiman Saha of ‘doctoring and tampering�?with WhatsApp screenshots and stated that he would serve a legal notice for defamation concerning the recent allegations made by Saha.

Taking to social media, Majumdar stated that the India wicket-keeper batter doctored the WhatsApp chats after being dropped from the Test squad.

"If he felt so anguished on that day, he could have put out the tweet on the 13th, when the message was sent. It was a day of celebration for him as he got a bid of 2 crore. But he waited till the 19th, when he was dropped from the team, doctored the message, manipulated it and put it out in a manner at 10:12 in the night so as to garner public sympathy and play the perfect victim card," the veteran journalist said in a video shared on his social media profiles. 

There are always two sides to a story. @Wriddhipops has doctored, tampered screenshots of my WhatsApp chats which have damaged my reputation and credibility. I have requested the @BCCI for a fair hearing. My lawyers are serving @Wriddhipops a defamation notice. Let truth prevail. pic.twitter.com/XBsiFVpskl

�?Boria Majumdar (@BoriaMajumdar) March 5, 2022

Earlier on Saturday evening, Saha had revealed that he told the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) every detail pertaining to the episode.

"I have told the committee everything I know. I have shared all the details with them. I can't tell you much right now. BCCI has asked me not to talk about the meeting outside as they will answer all your queries," the Siliguri-born cricketer told reporters after appearing before BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla, Treasurer Arun Dhumal and IPL governing council member Prabhtej Bhatia.

In February, Saha shared WhatsApp screenshots on his Twitter account alleging that a “respected�?journalist threatened him for an interview. Interestingly, the 37-year-old India cricketer posted the screenshots the day he was dropped from the squad for the Test series against Sri Lanka.

After all of my contributions to Indian cricket..this is what I face from a so called “Respected�?journalist! This is where the journalism has gone. pic.twitter.com/woVyq1sOZX

�?Wriddhiman Saha (@Wriddhipops) February 19, 2022

"You did not call. Never again will I interview you. I don't take insults kindly. And I will remember this. This wasn't something you should have done,�?the messages read.

Meanwhile, India cricket team head coach Rahul Dravid told Saha that the management decided to move on from him. Saha has already been demoted from Group B (INR 3 crore salary) to Group C (INR 1 crore) of the BCCI central contracts list.

Interestingly, Rishabh Pant has already established himself as India’s first-choice wicket-keeper in all three formats of the sport.

Since making his Test debut against South Africa in 2010, Saha has played 40 Test matches for India, amassing 1353 runs at an average of 29.41.

Featured photo: PRAKASH SINGH / AFP

The Indian cricket team has struggled to nail down a permanent gloveman in Test cricket ever since MS Dhoni decided to hang his boots in the longest format of the game. As things stand, young Rishabh Pant and senior member Wriddhiman Saha have been fighting for the position in the longest format.

Against Australia in December, Saha was given the nod ahead of Pant in the first Test in Adelaide, but a failure to score runs resulted in him losing his place. Pant went on to score crucial runs for the team and was one of the catalysts behind India’s historic victory Down Under.

The young wicket-keeper’s form continued to haunt a visiting England team earlier this year and as Team India gear up for their tour of England, both Saha and Pant will once again battle it out for a first-team spot. Saha, however, has admitted that Pant deserves this place as he has played more matches in recent times.

“Rishabh Pant played the last few matches of the World Test Championship, he’s done well and he should be our first-choice keeper in England. I would just wait, and if any opportunity arises, I will give my best. I will keep practising for that one chance,�?Saha told Sportskeeda.

Meanwhile, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) recently included Andhra wicket-keeper KS Bharat in the travelling team after Saha had contracted the COVID-19 virus. While it was assumed that Bharat is going to be a cover, Saha says that it is nothing but a precautionary step given the testing times we are in.

“I didn’t have COVID-19 during the last series but KS Bharat was still with the team. So what do you say then? Now that I contracted the infection, people are labelling him as my ‘cover�? But I feel they have picked a third keeper bearing in mind the risk outside.

“As we saw, anybody can get the infection from anywhere and two keepers are anyway a must these days. So if one keeper falls sick by any chance, then we will be in a spot of bother. I think that’s the reason why they have decided to travel with the three of us,�?the 36-year-old further explained.

Featured photo: AFP / Indranil Mukherjee

Team Mumbai’s Indian T20 League title defence has come back on track and they are eager to build on the run as they face off against Hyderabad at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Saturday.

Both Mumbai and Hyderabad enter this game on the back of thrilling encounters against Kolkata and Bangalore, respectively, but it is Rohit Sharma and Co. who showcased a clear hunger to win.

The David Warner-led Hyderabad, on the other hand, lost their second game in succession where they opted to chase.

Mumbai vs Hyderabad full squads

Mumbai: Rohit Sharma (captain), Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper), Suryakumar Yadav, Quinton de Kock (wicket-keeper), Anmolpreet Singh, Aditya Tare, Chris Lynn, Saurabh Tiwary, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Jayant Yadav, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohsin Khan, Rahul Chahar, Anukul Roy, Adam Milne, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Piyush Chawla, James Neesham, Marco Jansen, Yudhvir Charak, Arjun Tendulkar

Hyderabad: David Warner (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Basil Thampi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jonny Bairstow (wicket-keeper), Kane Williamson, Manish Pandey, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Sandeep Sharma, Shahbaz Nadeem, Shreevats Goswami (wicket-keeper), Siddarth Kaul, Khaleel Ahmed, T Natarajan, Vijay Shankar, Wriddhiman Saha (wicket-keeper), Virat Singh, Priyam Garg, Jason Holder, Abdul Samad, Jagadeesha Suchith, Kedar Jadhav, Mujeeb ur Rahman

Mumbai vs Hyderabad probable XI

Despite a disappointing start to his 2021 campaign, Quinton de Kock is unlikely to be replaced in the playing XI. This effectively means that Rohit Sharma will field an unchanged team from the win against Kolkata.

Mumbai predicted XI: Rohit Sharma (captain), Quinton de Kock (wicket-keeper), Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Marco Jansen, Rahul Chahar, Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult

Hyderabad need to include Kane Williamson into the playing XI, as his batting strengths can provide the much-needed edge to win chases. The return of Jason Holder proved effective in the bowling department but otherwise, there was no significant impact with the bat.

Hyderabad predicted XI: David Warner (captain), Wriddhiman Saha (wicket-keeper), Jonny Bairstow, Manish Pandey, Kane Williamson, Jason Holder, Abdul Samad, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, T Natarajan, Sandeep Sharma

Mumbai vs Hyderabad head-to-head record in Indian T20 League

Mumbai and Hyderabad’s head-to-head record stands even. In recent matchups, Rohit Sharma’s men have won three of the last five including a Super Over victory in the 2019 edition.

Mumbai vs Hyderabad head-to-head record
Mumbai	Metrics	Hyderabad
16	Matches	16
8	Wins	8
50%	Win Percentage	50%

Apart from the head-to-head record, Mumbai also enjoy a comfortable record at the MA Chidambaram Stadium having won six of the 10 games they played. Hyderabad, on the flip side, have lost all five matches.

Mumbai vs Hyderabad: Match result prediction

Mumbai are well-equipped and predicted to win the game against Hyderabad on Saturday, with the stats and odds in direct favour of the two-time defending champions. However, Hyderabad can take inspiration from their last outing against Mumbai - a 10-wicket win - and produce a landmark upset.

Best performers in Mumbai vs Hyderabad

Top tip: Best batsmen

Quinton de Kock, who was dismissed cheaply in the game against Kolkata, will look to make amends with a splendid inning against Hyderabad. The Proteas wicket-keeper has amassed 331 runs in nine matches against Warner’s side, and he is tipped to score maximum runs for the defending champions in the tie.

Hyderabad will entrust skipper David Warner to go all guns blazing against Mumbai. The southpaw is the odds-on favourite batsman in the Mumbai vs Hyderabad fixture, given he is the leading run-getter with 625 runs at a strike rate of 141.4.

Top tip: Best bowlers

Bhuvneshwar Kumar will spearhead the Hyderabad bowling order against Mumbai, and stats say that he has been their chief tormentor since 2017. With the champions struggling in the death overs this term, the Indian swing bowler is favoured to spell trouble for Rohit Sharma and Co., and add to his tally of 18 wickets.

For Mumbai, Trent Boult is tipped to be the game-changing bowler. The New Zealander has excelled for the five-time winners in the death overs, taking nine wickets in 110 balls, and shoulders the responsibility to exploit the weaknesses in Hyderabad’s batting order.

Top tip: All-rounders and wicket-keepers

Kieron Pollard is backed to be the top-performing all-rounder in the Mumbai vs Hyderabad game. As a batsman, the Trinidadian is the leading run-getter against David Warner and Co. with 383 runs at a staggering strike rate of 147.3.

Quinton de Kock is the wicket-keeper you should place your bet on for this tie. The South African has accounted for 43 dismissals in 33 matches, as opposed to Wriddhiman Saha’s 18 in 22 games.

Featured photo: Twitter / Mumbai Indians

The third match of the Indian T20 League 2021 will see two of the more consistent teams of the tournament �?Hyderabad and Kolkata - clashing at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Sunday, April 11.

After both the teams finished on 14 points last season, Hyderabad (+0.608) edged past Kolkata (-0.214) with their superior run rate. And fans will expect the crunch clash on Sunday to be equally close.

Both Hyderabad and Kolkata had made a conservative approach in the mini-auction, with less money in the purse for both sides, all their core players were retained in their respective squads. While the big buys for Eoin Morgan’s side included Shakib Al Hasan and Ben Cutting, Hyderabad’s shrewd management plugged their holes by roping in experienced all-rounder Kedar Jadhav and spinner Mujeeb ur Rahman.

Hyderabad vs Kolkata full squads for Indian T20 League 2021

Hyderabad: David Warner (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Basil Thampi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jonny Bairstow (wicket-keeper), Kane Williamson, Manish Pandey, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Sandeep Sharma, Shahbaz Nadeem, Shreevats Goswami (wicket-keeper), Siddarth Kaul, Khaleel Ahmed, T Natarajan, Vijay Shankar, Wriddhiman Saha (wicket-keeper), Virat Singh, Priyam Garg, Jason Holder, Abdul Samad, Jagadeesha Suchith, Kedar Jadhav, Mujeeb ur Rahman

Kolkata: Eoin Morgan (captain), Dinesh Karthik (wicket-keeper), Nitish Rana, Shubman Gill, Gurkeerat Singh, Rahul Tripathi, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Kuldeep Yadav, Lockie Ferguson, Pat Cummins, Prasidh Krishna, Sandeep Warrier, Shivam Mavi, Varun Chakravarthy, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Tim Seifert (wicket-keeper), Shakib Al Hasan, Sheldon Jackson (wicket-keeper), Vaibhav Arora, Karun Nair, Harbhajan Singh, Ben Cutting, Pawan Negi, Venkatesh Iyer

Hyderabad vs Kolkata playing XI predictions

Like defending champions Mumbai, Hyderabad has had a settled playing XI for the past few seasons. The team almost always depends on their top four batsmen to provide a strong start and the management’s only tricky decision will be whom to pick as a floater alongside Vijay Shankar. While Priyam Garg and Wriddhiman Saha suit the positions, Saha is expected to get the green light owing to his international experience.

The team selection for Kolkata won’t be very different. With most of their playing XI tried and tested for a few seasons now, the management will just have to choose between one of Shakib Al Hasan and Sunil Narine. And while both the players are match-winners on their given day, it will be Shakib’s reliable batting skills that will likely get the nod at Chepauk.

Hyderabad playing XI: David Warner (captain), Wriddhiman Saha (wicket-keeper), Jonny Bairstow, Manish Pandey, Kane Williamson, Vijay Shankar, Abdul Samad, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, T Natarajan, Sandeep Sharma

Kolkata playing XI: Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Eoin Morgan (captain) Dinesh Karthik (wicket-keeper), Shakib Al Hasan, Andre Russell, Rahul Tripathi/Karun Nair, Pat Cummins, Shivam Mavi, Prasidh Krishna, Varun Chakravarthy

Hyderabad vs Kolkata head-to-head in Indian T20 League

Hyderabad and Kolkata have faced each other 19 times with the latter leading the head-to-head record 12-7 quite comfortably winning 63.6 per cent of the matches played between these two sides. However, what makes Sunday's game even more exciting for Kolkata is Hyderabad's record at Chepauk.

Hyderabad have played in Chennai only thrice in the high-profile league, failing to win on each occasion. Hence, even by Kolkata's underwhelming record of just two wins at the venue in nine games, they have a better chance of winning the fixture.

Hyderabad vs Kolkata: Match result prediction

While Hyderabad boasts of some of the best names in T20 cricket in their batting line-up, Kolkata have arguably the best middle order in the tournament. However, as was evident on Saturday, Chepauk’s slow and spinning turf will have more for the bowlers than batsmen.

Interestingly, while Rashid Khan will be a big weapon for Hyderabad, Kolkata have Shakib Al Hasan and Varun Chakravarthy to inflict damage. With both the teams evenly matched, it is Kolkata’s experience at the venue that should give them the edge in their opening match.

Best performers in Hyderabad vs Kolkata

Top Tip: Best Batsmen

Hyderabad would edge almost any team in the Indian T20 League riding on David Warner’s stupendous batting records. The southpaw has been one of the most successful run-getters in the tournament with 5,254 runs to his name in 142 matches, and 912 runs of his tally have come against Kolkata. He will undoubtedly be the player to watch on Sunday’s fixture.

Though Kolkata's best bet against Hyderabad so far has been their former skipper Dinesh Karthik, who has 259 runs in 18 matches, Shubman Gill is expected to be Hyderabad’s main threat on Sunday. The youngster had tallied 440 runs last season and if his Australian tour is anything to go by, then the opener is expected to amass big scores this season.

Top Tip: Best Bowlers

Hyderabad is known to defend the smallest of targets with their bowling and captain David Warner will hope to see Bhuvneshwar Kumar back to his devastating best, which was evident in India’s recently concluded series against England. The pacer has 27 scalps against Kolkata and will be licking his lips to get the season started with a bang.

Kolkata's best bowler against Hyderabad has been wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav, who has 10 wickets in 10 matches. However, with the bowler hitting a bad patch of late, he is unlikely to be picked for the match. From Ajantha Mendis to Sunil Narine, Kolkata have possessed some brilliant mystery spinners in the Indian T20 League with the latest one being Varun Chakravarthy. The finger spinner took 17 wickets last season including one five-wicket haul to his name. His variations have been a much-talked-about subject ahead of the tournament.

Top tip: All-rounders and wicket-keepers

Sunday’s clash could see two of the best wicket-keepers of the tournament facing each other. Hyderabad have a seasoned and disciplined wicket-keeper in Wriddhiman Saha who has bagged 76 dismissals, comprising 56 catches and 20 stumpings, in the Indian T20 League so far. However, Kolkata’s Dinesh Karthik topples Saha with his record of 140 dismissals - 110 catches and 30 stumpings. Karthik also has the record of taking the most catches behind the wicket in the tournament’s history.

All-rounder is a specific trait that Hyderabad’s team lacks. Though Vijay Shankar does the job decently for the side, Kolkata has an edge with Andre Russell in their ranks. The West Indian has the highest strike rate in the Indian T20 League with 182.33 scoring 1,517 runs. Apart from that Andre Russell also contributes as a death-over specialist having scalped 61 wickets in the tournament so far.

Feature Image Courtesy: AFP/ Dibyangshu Sarkar

India wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant had a horrid start to Day 1 of the third Test against Australia as he dropped two sitters at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) on Thursday.

Pant, who has been preferred over Wriddhiman Saha for the second consecutive match, did his reputation no good as he dropped Australia debutant Will Pucovski twice in a span of three overs.

Pant gives Puc a life! #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/PwhpHuJI4D

�?cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) January 7, 2021

After dropping a dolly off Ravichandran Ashwin in the last ball of the 22nd over of the opening day’s play, Pant dropped an even easier chance, this time off pacer Mohammed Siraj.

A rollercoaster of emotions for Will Pucovski! Initially given out, but on closer inspection he's recalled to the crease! #OhWhatAFeeling@Toyota_Aus | #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/WgT5lCRjAE

�?cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) January 7, 2021

The two dropped catches gave Pucovski two lifelines, who later notched up his maiden half-century while leading to frustration for both the Indian bowlers and the stand-in skipper Ajinkya Rahane at the same time.

Twitter slammed Rishabh Pant for his dismal performance behind the stumps on the first day of the Sydney Test.

Rishabh Pant's Rashid Latif moment? #PinkTest #AUSvIND #INDvsAUSTest pic.twitter.com/JRwE1FupwS

�?Vijay Arumugam (@vijayarumugam) January 7, 2021

Rishabh pant is Kamran Akmal of India. #INDvsAUSTest

�?Bond�?(@piyush_speaks) January 7, 2021

One thing I can say beyond doubt that #RishabhPant is not a "keeper".#INDvsAUSTest

�?Harsh Tripathi (@HarshTr23148648) January 7, 2021

Rishabh Pant is a cheat

�?alex (@ajvan44) January 7, 2021

Scenes when pant says c'mon ash next time. pic.twitter.com/TWlYfgNMXP

�?Heisenberg�?(@internetumpire) January 7, 2021

Meanwhile, India debutant fast bowler Navdeep Saini dismissed Pucovski for 62 as he picked up his first wicket in Test cricket.

Australia were in a solid position at stumps on Day 1 with 166/2 on the board, with Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith batting on 67 and 31 respectively.

Feature image courtesy: Saeed KHAN / AFP

BCCI president Sourav Ganguly has said that opener Rohit Sharma has only been included in India's Test squad for the Australia tour because he is still not fully fit.

“Rohit is still 70 per cent (fit),�?Ganguly told The Week magazine, dismissing criticism of the board’s handling of player injuries.

“That is why he is still not picked for the ODIs and T20s Down Under. He has been added to the test squad.�?/p>

He further added that wicketkeeper-batsman, Wriddhiman Saha, is currently nursing a double hamstring injury, but expects him to be fit by the time the Test series kicks off. Saha injured his hamstring during the recently concluded Indian T20 League which forced him to miss the playoffs in the United Arab Emirates. The BCCI, last week, announced a revised squad for India's full-fledged tour of Australia where it confirmed that it would take a late call on Saha's availability.

“I think people don’t know how the BCCI works,�?Ganguly said.

“The BCCI trainers, physio and Wriddhi himself know that he has two hamstring issues.�?/p>

“Wriddhi is travelling to Australia because he will be fit for tests. He is not part of the shorter formats.�?/p>

The revised squad sees Sanju Samson returning to the ODI set-up, while captain Virat Kohli will be allowed to travel back to India after the first Test to attend the birth of his first child.

India's tour of Australia kicks off with three ODIs from November 27, followed by T20s from December 4 before the first of the four Tests starts on December 17.

India's T20I squad: Virat Kohli (Captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Mayank Agarwal, KL Rahul (vice-captain and wicket-keeper), Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Hardik Pandya, Sanju Samson (wicket-keeper), Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Shami, Navdeep Saini, Deepak Chahar, T Natarajan.

India's ODI squad: Virat Kohli (Captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul (vice-captain & wicket-keeper), Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Hardik Pandya, Mayank Agarwal, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Shami, Navdeep Saini, Shardul Thakur, Sanju Samson (wicket-keeper).

India's Test squad: Virat Kohli (Captain), Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Prithvi Shaw, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane (vice-captain), Hanuma Vihari, Shubman Gill, Wriddhiman Saha (wicket-keeper), Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Shami, Umesh Yadav, Navdeep Saini, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, R. Ashwin, Mohd. Siraj.

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Michael Bradley

Hyderabad endured a disappointing start to their 2020 Indian T20 League season and but got back to winnings ways, which they have continued so far by beating Bangalore in the Eliminator to make it to Qualifier 2.

HYD's opening match saw them fall short by 10 runs while chasing a target of 164 against Bangalore and their second encounter turned out to be somewhat of a walk in the park for Kolkata, who comfortably chased down a target of 143 to win the contest by seven wickets and two overs to spare.

A major reason behind their dismal start to the season was their top-order batting woes with skipper David Warner, in particular, struggling to find form. However, Warner has since returned to the standards expected of him and we find him leading the Hyderabad table. Manish Pandey, Kane Williamson and Jonny Bairstow have also been reliable batsmen for Hyderabad, having scored runs quite consistently.

But Hyderabad will still need the likes of Manish Pandey, Rashid Khan, Priyam Garg and Vijay Shankar to step up if they want to be competitive in the all-important Qualifier 2.

With that in mind, here’s a list of players with most runs for HYD in the Indian T20 League 2020 so far:

Player	Runs	Average	Strike Rate
David Warner	548	39.14	134.64
Manish Pandey	425	32.69	127.62
Jonny Bairstow	345	31.36	126.83
Kane Williamson	317	45.28	133.75
Wriddhiman Saha	214	71.33	139.86

Feature image courtesy: Twitter / Hyderabad

Hyderabad made a late surge into the playoffs on the back of three consecutive victories in their last three matches of the league stage and one of the main architects behind their late resurgence was Wriddhiman Saha, the Indian wicketkeeper-batsman.

The Hyderabad think-tank took a bold decision to drop Jonny Bairstow, who was misfiring at the top of the order, in their 12th match of the season against Delhi and replaced him with Saha. The decision seemed quite bizarre as Saha had amassed just 208 runs in the last two Indian T20 League seasons at a dismal average of 16.

However, the move paid off big time for Hyderabad as Saha went on to smash 87 off just 45 deliveries in his very first outing at the top of the order. After just four innings in this edition, Saha has 214 runs to his name and that too at an excellent average of 71.33. Hyderabad will be hoping to see him bat in the same way in their all-important Eliminator against Bangalore on Friday as well.

Major skill on display: Impeccable timing and range against both pace and spin

Saha is not a power-hitter like Bairstow but what he has is the sense of timing and the range of playing shots all around the ground. In all of his outings at the top of the order, it never appeared like he was trying to force any shot. He kept piercing the gaps by playing classical copybook lofted drives and punches, and those helped him in getting good results as well. Saha also showed how strong he is against both spin and pace. While 119 of his total runs this season have come against pace, at a strike-rate of 145.12, the remaining 95 have come against spin at a good scoring rate of 133.80 once again.

Impact Points

Highest batting average among batsmen with a minimum of 200 runs

Saha's batting average of 71.33 is the best among players who have scored a minimum of 200 runs in this edition of the Indian T20 League. He finds himself ahead of players like Kieron Pollard (64.75), KL Rahul (55.83), Ishan Kishan (53.00) and Ruturaj Gaikwad (51.00) among others.

Highest Powerplay Strike-rate

Among batsmen who have faced a minimum of 30 deliveries in the first six overs of an innings combined in this season, Saha's strike-rate of 169.05 is the highest. The 36-year-old has faced 42 deliveries in the Powerplay this edition and scored 72 runs without being dismissed even once.

Saha helped Hyderabad to quick starts in each of the last three league matches, something they were lacking in the previous games. Hyderabad's scores at the end of the Powerplay in each of the last three matches were 56/0, 58/1 and 77/0 respectively. And Saha had contributed 28*(17), 21*(15) and 22*(10) on each of those occasions.

Wall of Praise

Very smart batting by @Wriddhipops!

Improvised his shots after picking the line and length of the ball. There was no slogging at all. Played a fantastic innings which I thoroughly enjoyed watching.#SRHvDC #IPL2020

�?Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) October 27, 2020

Heartening to see @Wriddhipops play a blinder! Phenomenal knock to put @SunRisers on top! Looks like @DelhiCapitals will be chasing a stiff target. #IPL #SRHvDC

�?Kris Srikkanth (@KrisSrikkanth) October 27, 2020

Feature image courtesy: Twitter.com / Hyderabad

A brilliant bowling display followed by an incredible opening stand guided Hyderabad to a 10-wicket over Mumbai at the Sharjah Stadium.

Here are the key talking points from the contest:

Hyderabad's delight is Kolkata’s despair

With this sensational win, Hyderabad jumped from fifth to third on the points table and qualified for the playoffs only on net run rate. However, their entry into the top four meant Kolkata were relegated to fifth, ending their campaign by a margin of 0.042 difference between their and Bangalore's net run rate. Kolkata have nobody but themselves to blame as they lost five of their final eight fixtures, which resulted in them finishing with only 14 points and ending their campaign prematurely.

Eat, sleep, score 500, repeat

On a day when Hyderabad couldn’t afford any slip-ups, captain David Warner ensured that there wouldn’t be one, scoring an unbeaten 85 off 58 balls to guide Hyderabad to a 10-wicket win over the league leaders. With a boundary in the 11^th over, Warner reached 57 runs, and thereby completed 500 runs for the season, doing so for the sixth season running, the first man to achieve that feat. Warner also surpassed Rohit Sharma as the third-highest runscorer in Indian T20 League history, furthering his status as perhaps the best foreign export in league history.

Saha's sensational impact

With Warner skippering the side and Williamson a key cog in the middle order, Hyderabad had no overseas slots left, as the other two were taken up by Rashid Khan and Jason Holder, both key to their bowling attack. What this meant was the team had to drop opener Jonny Bairstow and bring in Wriddhimann Saha to open the innings alongside Warner, and the veteran answered the call, by scoring 184 in three matches at an average of 92, helping Hyderabad clinch a playoff spot. Saha's return to the side as an opener proved to be a masterstroke, as the wicketkeeper-batsman repaid the team’s faith with three outstanding knocks at the top of the order.

Kieron continues his brilliant form

The only silver lining on a lacklustre evening for Mumbai was the performance of all-rounder Kieron Pollard. The big West Indian helped his side escape from a hole with a brilliant knock of 41 off 25 balls that helped Mumbai post a fighting total on the scoreboard. Pollard has now scored 259 runs this season at a strike rate of 193.28, the best he’s managed in his Indian T20 League career. The veteran all-rounder also completed 3000 runs for Mumbai, becoming only the second batsman in the franchise's history after Rohit Sharma to achieve that feat.

Feature image courtesy: Twitter.com / Hyderabad