INDIA National Team Discussion

[Kushal]

Good luck w the series!

won the toss and chose to bat 1st vs USA on a sticky
Lets see if Thadigiri made the r8 decision, he is at the crease now 5(10)* ; Ind 56-3 (12.3)

Match Report: Match 1 vs USA.
A Solid Start to the T20 Tour!

We’ve kicked off the tour with a comfortable win against the USA!

Thanks @FruitPunchSamurai for the good luck wishes – it seems to have worked! Winning the toss and choosing to bat first on a sticky pitch was a bit tricky. We had a shaky start with Amul Subramanian and Tess T Culls getting out early, but the team pulled through to set a respectable total of 101.

The real story of the day was our bowling attack. Chadda absolutely dominated the powerplay with an incredible spell of 4 overs, 16 runs, and 4 wickets. Labrooy, Kedia, and Walkin kept the pressure on, cleaning up the rest of the USA lineup, bowling them out for just 70 runs.

A 31-run victory to start the tour – great effort all around! Onward and upward!

[Kushal]

Match Report: Match 2 vs South Africa.
South Africa cruises to an easy win.

We won the toss and chose to bat first on a dry pitch under sunny weather. Ankush departed early, but Mayur Kaul (47 off 38) got us going. Unfortunately, the middle order didn’t deliver as expected, and we exposed our finisher, Bittu Pawar, too early, resulting in his dismissal before the death overs.

However, Bhagavant Sawardekar (42 off 26) and Tess T Culls (20 off 14) finished strong, setting a competitive total of 139.

Taumalolo gave us an early breakthrough in his second over, but their batters, L. Pinot-Pietersen and K. Carrington, had different plans. While Shekhar Michandani managed to dismiss Carrington, the damage had already been done. Soshal D. Singh had an expensive day with the ball.

Still, it’s early in the tournament, and we're looking forward to our next match against UAE tomorrow, on the same sunny and dry.

[Kushal]

Match Report: Match 4 vs Ireland

I couldn’t write the report for our last match against UAE, which we unfortunately lost, putting us in a tricky situation. But the next challenge was even bigger—a showdown against the unbeaten Ireland.

We lost the toss and were put in to bat first on a crumbling pitch under sunny conditions. The top order didn’t perform as expected but managed to hang in there for a while. It was in the later part of the innings that Tarul Thadigiri (62 off 37) shifted the momentum, taking us to a solid total of 140.

With 140 to defend, our bowlers were on point right from the start, applying heavy pressure on Ireland. All the bowlers bowled exceptionally well, with a special mention to Michandani for his unreal spell of 3 wickets for 0 runs in 2.1 overs.

We bowled them out for just 76, securing a comfortable victory. We're now sitting 3rd on the points table with 8 points, while Ireland and UAE lead with 12 points each.

Our final league match against Canada is about to begin in 10 minutes, and it will decide our fate in the tournament. Don’t miss it [check it out here]

[Kushal]

Match Report: Match 5 vs Canada.

We faced contradictory conditions today—a dry pitch combined with humid weather. Batting first, we posted a total of 140 once again, with solid contributions from Sawardekar (41 off 36) and a late surge by Bittu Pawar (30 off 19) during the death overs.

Our bowling started well, with Chadda removing David early, but their batters built a solid second-wicket partnership. After that, we managed to pick up wickets at regular intervals, but Guzman anchored their innings and took them home comfortably.

We finish the tournament with 8 points, retaining our 3rd position on the points table, just where we were before this match.

[FruitPunchSamurai]

Good write-ups @Kushal
outstanding performances from Tarul and Michandani helped us get a key victory in what looked like tough series!

[MOD-wmchamps]

Good job with the reports Kushal

[Riso]

Excellent write ups Kushal! Thank you

[Riso]

Special thanks to Wmpchamps for stepping in when I needed his valuable assistance. I owe you one chief

[Riso]

Hey everyone,

I’m thrilled to announce the 18-member squad for our upcoming ODI tour, where the first two matches are on hard pitches, followed by two on flat surfaces, and then finishing off on a crumbling track.

Here’s the squad:

Batters:

1. Tess Culls
2. Mayur Kaul
3. Vaibhav Gupta
4. Tarul Thadigiri
5. Raghvendra Gujarati
6. Bhagavant Sawardekar
7. Chatrapati Soratheeya

Wicketkeepers:
8. Swapnil Tyagi
9. Kamlesh Sutariya

All-Rounders:
10. Inder Kedia (Right-arm fast medium)
11. Anil Kumble (Right-arm wrist spin)

Bowlers:
12. Grahemy Labrooy (Left-arm fast)
13. Jason Taumalolo (Left-arm fast)
14. Franz Beckenbauer (Right-arm fast)
15. Amit Visvanathan (Left-arm fast medium)
16. Mahendra Chadda (Right-arm fast medium)
17. Aarth Manivanan (Right-arm fast medium)
18. Shekar Mirchandani (Right-arm Finger Spin)

This squad is a mix of solid batting and a heavy pace attack, which is crucial for the first four matches. We’ve got a couple of spinners in the mix to handle the conditions in the last match, and I’m confident that each player will step up and rise to the occasion.

I want to express my gratitude for the community's constant support. This might be the last tour for some of our seasoned players (aged above 30). I’d also like to extend my thanks to the managers whose dedication has been phenomenon in developing these players. Hopefully we will see more such amazing players even in future!

Thank you,
RiSo.

[MOD-wmchamps]

Good squad, all the best in the tour.

Looking forward to see how the new additions Viswanathan, Manivanan, and Beckenbaur do.

[Riso]

Good squad, all the best in the tour.

Looking forward to see how the new additions Viswanathan, Manivanan, and Beckenbaur do.

Thank you
Yes excited to see the younger pace attack. The pitches are Hard and Flat for most of the part, but they are ready to roar!

[Kushal]

Match Report: Match 1 vs Kenya

We were put in to bat after losing the toss on the Hard pitch with Humid conditions. Vaibhav Gupta got us off to an exciting start, smashing a six on the very first ball. Both openers looked solid, but after Mayur Kaul was dismissed for 30, we started losing wickets regularly. Gupta, however, continued with intent, scoring a well-made 64 off 69 before his dismissal just before the mid-innings drinks break, leaving us 4 down.

The recovery came from Swapnil Tyagi (70 off 58), who anchored the innings with crucial partnerships, helping us post a competitive total of 282 when it looked like a collapse was on the cards.

Our bowlers got us early breakthroughs, but Kenya formed solid partnerships for both the 4th and 5th wickets, making the chase look comfortable as the required run rate kept dropping. However, F. Beckenbauer and A. Manivanan struck in back-to-back overs (35th and 36th), shifting the momentum. Even though E. Mac Obuya was set to potentially steal the game, Manivanan stepped up again, taking three wickets, including Obuya's, in the 46th over. Kenya was bowled out, and we secured a 33-run victory.

[Kushal]

Match Report: Match 2 vs UAE

We had the same conditions as our last match i.e hard and humid, but this time, we won the toss and opted to bat first. Unfortunately, wickets started falling regularly from the outset. Despite a couple of decent 40-50 run partnerships, we were bowled out for 198.

While defending the total, Chadda started brilliantly with a wicket-maiden in the first over, and Vishvnathan quickly followed up with another breakthrough. However, UAE put together a long 3rd wicket partnership between A. Rafi and D. Genat, which swung the game heavily in their favor. We did manage to take 3 more wickets, but Genat anchored the chase from the start and took them home comfortably. They chased down our target in just 35 overs.

Our net run rate has taken a significant hit, and now we’re in a must-win situation for the remaining games to stay in the tour.

[MOD-wmchamps]

Good reports Kushal, nice work.

Good to see Beckenbaur and Manivanan make their debuts and do well.

[Kushal]

Match Report: Match 3 vs Pakistan

In the much-anticipated India-Pakistan clash, played on a flat pitch under humid conditions, we won the toss and chose to bowl first. Our bowlers kept things tight from the start, restricting the flow of runs despite the favorable conditions for batting. Though some of their batters managed decent individual scores, no big partnerships formed as we kept the pressure on with consistent wickets. Beckenbauer led the way with 3 wickets, while Chadda and Taunalolo chipped in with 2 wickets each. Pakistan ended their innings at 243/8.

Chasing 244, Vaibhav Gupta set the pace with a fluent knock, and Mayur Kaul supported him steadily at the other end. By the time Gupta departed for 67 off 58 balls, he had already placed us in a commanding position. Swapnil Tyagi (80* off 82) took over from there, guiding us home with a few small but crucial partnerships. We chased down the target in 44 overs with 5 wickets in hand. This victory lifted us to 3rd place in the standings, tied on points with hosts Kenya, who are 2nd with a superior run rate.