Board President’s XI vs South Africa Highlights: Day 1 called off without a ball being bowled
BP XI vs SA Highlights: The Day 1 of the Board President XI vs South Africa three-day practice match at Vizianagaram was washed out due to rain. Persistent rain did not even allow for the toss to take place, meaning only two days remain for the likes of Rohit Sharma, Umesh Yadav to get a feel of the red ball before the action starts on October 2.Follow Board President’s XI vs South Africa highlights here -
Day 1 stumps
It’s official! The day 1 of the BP XI and South Africa match has been called off. Rain did not allow even for the toss to take place. Now players from both the sides will hope for some cricket on the remaining two days of the three-day practice match.
Players to watch out for
BP XI: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Mayank Agarwal, Umesh Yadav, Jalaj Saxena, Shardul Thakur
South Africa: Faf du Plessis, Temba Bavuma, Quinton de Kock, Vernon Philander, Lungi Ngidi
13:05 hrs IST‘No rethink of plans’
“No rethink. We have no fear of losing, we will play with intent. We will try players in different positions, we will try options that are needed and on the way till we reach New Zealand (Feb-Mar). From there on, you take who is available, not available; who is injured, not injured. But you will get an option of 17 to 18 players,” said India head coach Ravi Shastri. (Read full interview here)
12:45 hrs ISTSachin’s revelation
“In 1994, when I started opening the batting for India, the strategy used by all teams was to save wickets. What I tried to do was slightly out of the box,” said Sachin Tendulkar. Read the full story here
12:30 hrs ISTBatting coach Vikram Rathour on Rohit Sharma
“Rohit is one of the greats of white-ball cricket but has had a start-stop Test career. He has been given another opportunity in the five-day format, this time as an opener in the upcoming series against South Africa. He is too good a player to not be playing in any game. That is what is everyone is thinking. He has done so well in white-ball cricket as an opener so there is no reason why he can’t succeed as a Test opener provided he gets enough opportunities,” said Rathour.
12:10 hrs ISTStill no news of the toss
Unfortunately, we don’t have any good news yet. We have no options but to play the waiting game. How frustrating it must be for the players? We can’t even imagine.
11:45 hrs IST‘Guys are positive’
“The guys are positive and upbeat and we’re maintaining a really good language in the changeroom, a really strong language
11:30 hrs ISTRavi Shastri reflects on his tenure
You try and find out how many teams have been as consistent as this one. Yes, you lose the odd one, but the way this team has played, and last year we have only played overseas, and the accolades they have got in every country they went to, including England, even though we lost 4-1 in the Test series, you just give it to the players for standing up and playing to their potential.
11:00 hrs IST‘We are the best fielding side’
“We have been better at competing, we are better man to man, when it comes to aggression we are better, when it comes to consistency, and we have taken the word ‘home’ out. Most of all in fielding, we are the best fielding side. The biggest improvement apart from bowling is fielding. There will be ups and downs, but in the last two-three years, this is arguably India’s best fielding side,” India head coach Ravi Shastri
10:40 hrs ISTSome insights about Bumrah’s injury
A Board official said BCCI’s initiative to have regular tests has helped detect Bumrah’s injury early. “Though they are very expensive, we do regular radiology tests of players just to catch injuries early. The good part is that we have got to know it beforehand, so it can be cured before it becomes serious. He should be back to bowling in a month’s time,” said the official.
10:20 hrs IST‘Preparations will be massive’
“There’s always a couple of positives from spending time at the crease. I’m trying to nit-pick at those positives and take as much as I can from those knocks,” Markram said. “Preparation going into this series is gonna be massive and each little bit that we can take going into the series will help.”
10:00 hrs ISTRavi Shastri exclusive
As we wait for the game to start, here’s a look at what India head coach Ravi Shastri had to say in an exclusive interview with Hindustan Times. Read the full interview here
9:40 hrs ISTNo signs of the toss yet
We are already 10 minutes past the schedule start time and there is no sign of the toss yet. This is not looking good. It is to be noted that this is the only practice match before the Test series, means Du Plessis and Co’s only chance to get a feel of the conditions before the real deal begins
9:13 hrs ISTToss delayed
Right then, just as we were fearing, the toss of the Board President XI vs South Africa match has been delayed due to rain. The match was scheduled to start at 9:30 IST but now it is certain that there won’t be an on-time start.
9:00 hrs ISTHow does South Africa shape up?
Regular captain Faf du Plessis has joined the squad after opting out of the T20Is. Then there are the likes of Vernon Philander and Lungi Ngidi in the bowling unit but one has to say this South Africa unit minus Hashim AMla and Dale Steyn looks a little pale, especially considering their dubious record against spin. “I remember watching that series a few years ago and it looked incredibly difficult,” Aiden Markram said. “I’m sure there’s a bit of baggage that certain players that were on that tour might still be carrying but that’s completely fine. I think it’s never an easy tour coming to anywhere in the subcontinent, let alone India. It’s full of challenges, but if we can conquer those challenges it will be really rewarding.”
8:45 hrs ISTWeather to play spoilsport?
There is rain forecast for the all three days of the practice match. Both teams hope that there is enough play possible for both sides to complete an innings each. This not being an international ground, the drainage facilities too is likely to be an issue.
8:30 hrs ISTWhat’s at stake?
Generally, focus is on the visiting side more in a practice game. But this BP XI vs South Africa match is slightly different in that respect. There will be as much focus (if not more) on India’s BP XI as there will be on South Africa. Rohit Sharma will open in whites for the first time and then Umesh Yadav will give a trial run before the Test series. Yadav obviously, replaced Bumrah in India’s Test squad after the latter was ruled out.
8:15 hrs ISTTime to put on the whites
Hello and welcome to the live coverage of the three-day practice game between India’s Board President XI and the touring South African side at the Dr PVG Raju ACA Sports Complex,Vizianagaram. It will be a dress rehearsal for the three-match Test series slated to begin from October 2 at Visakhapatnam.
8:05 hrs ISTTeam Squads
Board President’s XI: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Mayank Agarwal, Priyank Panchal, AR Easwaran, Karun Nair, Siddhesh Lad, KS Bharat (wicket-keeper), Jalaj Saxena, Dharmendrasinh Jadeja, Avesh Khan, Ishan Porel, Shardul Thakur, Umesh Yadav
South Africa Test squad: Faf du Plessis (c), Temba Bavuma (vc), Theunis de Bruyn, Quinton de Kock, Dean Elgar, Zubayr Hamza, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Senuran Muthusamy, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Vernon Philander, Dane Piedt, Kagiso Rabada, Rudi Second.