askforamy.com – Fast Reports & Morning News Briefs

Mohammed Shami has dismissed retirement rumours, reaffirming his commitment to competitive cricket. The 34-year-old fast bowler returned to action for the first time since the IPL 2025, representing East Zone in the Duleep Trophy quarter-final, which began on 28 August.

Central Zone captain Dhruv Jurel and East Zone skipper Abhimanyu Easwaran missed the Duleep Trophy quarterfinals, which began on Thursday, due to a fever and a groin niggle, respectively.

Central Zone captain Dhruv Jurel and East Zone skipper Abhimanyu Easwaran are not playing the opening round of their respective Duleep Trophy matches in Bengaluru. In Jurel's absence, Rajat Patidar is leading Central Zone and Riyan Parag is leading East Zone.

Cheteshwar Pujara, speaking to India Today, said Test selections are now increasingly influenced by both red-ball performances and white-ball exploits, urging youngsters to equip themselves to excel across all three formats. The batting great admitted he missed out on IPL deals after being labelled a Test specialist.

Sarfaraz Khan's unbeaten 109 propelled Mumbai against Haryana in the Buchi Babu Tournament, rescuing them from an early collapse. This century follows his earlier 138 against TNCA XI, solidifying his form ahead of the Test season.

The 2025–26 domestic season begins with the Duleep Trophy in Bengaluru, a tournament doubling as auditions for vacancy in India's Test line-up. With questions over No. 3, No. 6 and pace depth, batters like Devdutt Padikkal, Shreyas Iyer and Sarfraz Khan, along with bowlers Mohammed Shami and Mukesh Kumar, aim to impress selectors ahead of home Test series against West Indies and South Africa.

The Indian home cricket season of 2025-26 starts with the Duleep Trophy. The tournament begins on August 28. It ends on September 15. The zonal format returns with North, South, East, West, Central, and North East zones competing. Matches will occur at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. South Zone and West Zone enter directly into the semi-finals.

Shreyas Iyer declined West Zone captaincy in the Duleep Trophy, leading to Shardul Thakur's appointment. Iyer, anticipating an Asia Cup call-up, focused on white-ball training but was surprisingly excluded from the squad. Meanwhile, Thakur is expected to lead Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy, following Rahane's departure, after his strong red-ball performance and recent Test recall.

Shubman Gill is all set to miss the Duleep Trophy 2025 due to illness, with Ankit Kumar set to lead North Zone in his absence. Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana will play only the opening match before leaving for Asia Cup duties.

Shubman Gill, India's Test captain, is likely to miss the Duleep Trophy due to illness. Appointed captain of the North Zone team, Gill is resting in Chandigarh after medical examinations. Ankit Kumar will now lead the side, with Shubham Rohilla replacing Gill.

The BCCI has announced significant changes to the upcoming domestic cricket season, starting with the Duleep Trophy on August 28th. A plate group is introduced in all domestic one-day tournaments, including the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Major events will now feature four elite groups and one plate group.