The big news: India, England share spoils

The first day of the first Test between India and England in Rajkot had everything one could ask for. Dropped catches, a feisty hundred and some good bowling on show. It even saw the debut of Haseeb Hameed and Stuart Broad play his 100th Test. Alastair Cook was dropped on two occasions and Hameed showed a glimpse of the talent he is.

However, after the openers were out, it was the Joe Root and Moeen Ali show as they stitched a 179-run partnership, which saw Root hit another hundred against India before falling for 124 in a bizarre manner. Ali remained not out on 99 and is set to score a brilliant hundred. England ended the day on 311/4 with Ravichandran Ashwin being the pick of the bowlers, taking 2/108 in 31 overs. India will look to make amends on day two.

Other top stories

  1. Mahendra Singh Dhoni will not be replaced as India's one-day captain till the 2019 World Cup, said the Board of Control for Cricket in India. "It would make the job of the selectors easy if Dhoni continues to play the way he is playing today," a board official told the Times of India. "His fitness level is as good as a newcomer’s in the team. He seems to be getting better with age and none of the selectors have discussed leaving out Dhoni in the future." 
  2. Sri Lanka need three wickets to win the second Test against Zimbabwe in Harare. Chasing 491 for victory, Zimbabwe need 311 runs for a win. Rangana Herath once again took a five-wicket haul to dismantle the Zimbabwe batting.
  3. Former South Africa captain Graeme Smith feels something amiss with the current Australian squad. “There is obviously a lack of confidence that has developed, maybe through these losses, and the way they collapsed and fell away in that Perth Test. To me, it showed that, maybe, there is a lack of confidence or self-belief in that set-up at the moment. It does show me that there is something that’s not right there,” said Smith.
  4. New Zealand’s Martin Guptill was dropped from the squad for the upcoming two-match Test series against Pakistan. Uncapped Auckland batsman Jeet Raval and all-rounder Colin de Grandhomme have been picked, while Todd Astle, who played his only Test in November 2012, has been recalled. The first Test begins on November 17 in Christchurch.
  5. South Africa’s Robin Peterson announced his retirement from all forms of cricket. He made his debut during the Champions Trophy in 2002 and was a useful all-rounder. He played 15 Tests, 79 ODIs and 21 T20Is, taking 137 international wickets and also scoring four half-centuries.
  6. Najam Sethi, the head of Pakistan Cricket Board’s executive committee, blasted the BCCI on Wednesday for not giving him a “straight answer” over bilateral ties between Pakistan and India. Sethi criticised India for refusing to travel to the United Arab Emirates for a bilateral series, which he said resulted in heavy losses for Pakistan.