“Pant will be back wicketkeeping tomorrow”: Morne Morkel
The second match of the Test series between India and Sri Lanka is being played at SSC Colombo. Rishabh Pant suffered an injury while batting on the first day of the match. Due to this injury, he has not yet taken the field to keep wickets. Despite this injury, Pant batted on the second day and scored a brilliant half-century. However, on the third day, Rishabh Pant did not take the wicketkeeping role and was seen outside the field with a bandage on his shoulder.
Giving an update on Rishabh Pant’s fitness at the press conference, Morne Morkel said that he has suffered a serious injury to his right shoulder. When he tried to warm up this morning, his movement was limited. We will monitor him tonight. Hopefully, he will be back wicketkeeping tomorrow. This statement clearly indicates that Pant may be back on the field tomorrow.
“There will not be an immediate place for Sai,” says Aakash Chopra
Devdutt Padikkal has made a strong case for the number 3 spot in the Test series against Sri Lanka by scoring two consecutive centuries. He was given the opportunity to play at number three because Sai Sudarshan was ruled out of the series due to injury. Padikkal capitalized on this opportunity. Former cricketer Aakash Chopra believes that even if Sai returns to the team after getting fit, it will be difficult for him to immediately secure a place.
Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube channel, “Padikkal is batting brilliantly. I like him very much. Devdutt Padikkal is an amazing cricketer. He is a great player. Padikkal has scored more runs in 6 innings than Sai Sudharshan, who has scored 383 runs in 12 innings.”
Aakash Chopra further said, “He has scored two consecutive centuries. He did get out to an off-spinner, but he was in great form. Now it is confirmed that he will have to sit out when Sai arrives. There will not be an immediate place for Sai.”
East Zone team reached the semi-finals of the Duleep Trophy
The first quarter-final match of the Duleep Trophy 2026 was played between East Zone and North East Zone at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. East Zone won the match by a huge margin of an innings and 210 runs. With this victory, East Zone advanced to the semi-finals. 31-year-old Shahbaz Ahmed played a key role in East Zone’s victory. He scored a massive century with the bat and took four wickets in both innings. For this impressive all-round performance, he received the Player of the Match award.
Sudip Kumar Gharami and Shahbaz Ahmed scored brilliant centuries for East Zone. Sudip Kumar played a brilliant innings of 146 runs in 185 balls, hitting 25 fours and a six. Shahbaz Ahmed scored 167 runs in 244 balls, hitting 17 fours and four sixes. Kumar Kushagra also contributed 55 runs. Thanks to these innings, East Zone managed to score 467 runs. In reply, the North East Zone team, which came to bat, was all out after scoring only 111 runs in the first innings. After this, East Zone made them follow on. In the second innings, the North East batsmen could not do much. In this innings, the entire team was all out after scoring only 146 runs.
“I am fed up with off-field stupidity”: Joe Root
England’s Test captain Joe Root is extremely angry and disappointed with fast bowler Brydon Carse. Carse is under investigation for an incident outside a nightclub in Derby. Joe Root has recently taken over the captaincy of the team again. He clearly said that he is very fed up with such stupid behavior of the players outside the field. After the nightclub controversy, Carse has been dropped from the team for the second Test match against Pakistan starting from August 27.
Recently, a video surfaced on social media showing Brydon Carse being handcuffed. The England Cricket Board (ECB) subsequently referred the matter to the cricket regulator, which is now investigating the incident. Due to this controversy, Carse has been dropped from the England team and replaced by young bowler Sonny Baker. Carse did not get a chance to play in the first Test match.
People find it hard to believe but I really enjoy red-ball cricket: Ishan Kishan
Under Ishan Kishan’s captaincy, East Zone reached the semi-finals of the Duleep Trophy 2026. In his 65th first-class match, Ishan Kishan led East Zone to a major victory against Northeast Zone. East defeated Northeast by a massive margin of an innings and 210 runs . Prior to this, he played his 64th first-class match in the Ranji Trophy against Baroda in November 2025. Since then, he has played 59 matches, both domestic and international.
When Ishan Kishan was asked if he wanted to be part of the Test team again, he replied, “Yes, he absolutely wants to be part of the Test team.” He believes that anyone who has played Test cricket once will love the format. Test matches have their own significance and significantly improve a player’s game. Ishan says that while people may not believe him, he truly enjoys red-ball cricket. He adds that his main job is to score runs and help his team win.
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