The big news: India beat New Zealand at Eden Gardens

On Monday, India beat New Zealand by 178 runs at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, to become the World No. 1 Test team. It was also their fourth series win on the trot. Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja took three wickets apiece in the second innings to bowl the Kiwis out for 197. Mohammed Shami also chipped in with three wickets to complete the victory and help India take a 2-0 lead in the three-match series.

New Zealand will have to play for pride in the third Test at Indore, as they run the risk of being blanked 3-0. With Kane Williamson back in the reckoning for the Test, which starts on October 8, the Kiwis will hope for a change in fortune. The One Day series is scheduled to take place after the Tests.

Other top stories

  1. Karnataka’s Karun Nair has been called up as replacement for the injured Shikhar Dhawan for the third India-New Zealand Test, which will be played in Indore from October 8. India also have veteran opener Gautam Gambhir in the squad. He is widely expected to play his first Test in two years. Dhawan suffered a minor fracture after he was struck on the thumb by a Trent Boult delivery in Kolkata.
  2. Bangladesh have recalled fast bowler Al-Amin Hossain for the first two of their three One Day Internationals against England. Al-Amin was dropped for the Tigers' latest 2-1 series win at home to Afghanistan. Taskin Ahmed, who returned to international cricket in September after having his bowling action cleared, has also been included in the squad.
  3. There might be a crisis brewing in Indian cricket. According to a report in The Indian Express, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) may call off the ongoing India-New Zealand series. This is a possible response to the Lodha committee's reportedly asking banks to stop disbursing funds to the BCCI after the Indian board decided to oppose the reforms suggested by the committee. With one Test match to go and five One-Day Internationals lined up, there's quite a lot of cricket over the next few weeks. However, the cricket body is yet to officially announce the cancellation.
  4. Durham captain Paul Collingwood was fuming after the club were relegated to Division Two of the County Championship, hit with a 48-point deduction for next season and stripped of their Test status following a £3.8m bailout from the England and Wales Cricket Board. Their fate was sealed after they were found to be struggling financially owing to the lack of interest for cricket in the region. Said Collingwood, “The players are seriously unhappy. There’s a lot of anger, a lot of ‘Whose fault is this?’ and that kind of stuff. The fact is that the players are 100% innocent here. In the background it hasn’t been run as efficiently as it should have been. Unfortunately we are the ones who have to take the brunt of the decision. That’s why it’s such a kick in the teeth because we know how hard it’s been to continue our first division status with all the strains that have been on our team in the last few years."