Cricket Buzz: Arjun Tendulkar picked in Mumbai squad

Arjun Tendulkar, son of cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar and a left-arm pacer, has been named in the 15-member Mumbai squad for the upcoming 'Bapuna Cup' to be held in Nagpur.

The squad, to be led by Suryakumar Yadav, was announced by the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) on its website on Monday.

The Bapuna Cup is a pre-season tournament organised by the Vidarbha Cricket Association.

This year, it will be played in 50-over format and will begin from September 5.

In the past, Arjun Tendulkar has played in the T20 Mumbai League after he was picked for Rs 5 lakh.

The 19-year-old Mumbaikar has also bowled to the Indian team in the nets.

Squad: Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Aditya Tare, Jay Bista, Sarfaraz Khan, Shubham Ranjane, Raunak Sharma, Eknath Kerkar, Sufiyan Shaikh, Akash Parkar, Shams Mulani, Aditya Dhumal, Shashank Attarde, Aquib Kureshi, Kruthik Hanagavadi, Arjun Tendulkar.

Gambhir proposes renaming Yamuna Sports Complex after Jaitley, writes to Lt Governor

Former India cricketer and East Delhi MP Gautam Gambhir has urged Lt Governor Anil Baijal to rename the Yamuna Sports Complex after former finance minister Arun Jaitley.

On August 24, the day Jaitley passed away at AIIMS after prolonged illness, Gambhir wrote to Baijal, proposing to rename the complex in his constituency after the BJP stalwart in recognition of his contribution towards sports.

"I am writing this letter to propose to your good self to rename Yamuna Sports Complex situated in my Lok Sabha constituency of East Delhi in the name of eminent lawyer, our great leader and former finance minister, later Arun Jaitley ji," Gambhir wrote in the letter to the Lt Governor.

He said it will be a 'humble gesture' and tribute to the Jaitley's contribution and 'incredible' legacy.

India Red's Nair hits 166 before match ends in draw

Karun Nair hit an unbeaten 166 for India Red before their Duleep Trophy match against India Blue ended in a draw, in Bengaluru, on Monday.

India Red gained three points for taking the first-innings lead and took a big step towards securing a spot in the final, while India Blue got one point to finish their engagements with two points.

In the last league encounter, India Red will take on India Green at the Alur cricket stadium from August 29.

India Red made 285 in the first innings before restricting their opponent to 255. They scored 297 for six declared in the second innings.

India discard Nair, who missed out on a century in the first innings by a run, looked in good touch and played several handsome strokes on the way to a century.

Nair and first-innings centurion Ankit Kalsi (64) added 157 runs for the third wicket as India Red declared with an overall lead of 327 runs, following which play was called off.

Nair, resuming on his overnight score of 43, kept the scorecard ticking with some pleasing shots, while Kalsi was content to play second fiddle.

He reached his century with a lofted shot off left-arm spinner Saurabh Kumar's bowling.

The Karnataka right-hander looked positive after getting to his ton and hit some cracking shots, beginning his 2019-20 domestic season in style.

Nair was named Man of the Match.

Brief scores:

India Red 285 all out in 124 overs (Ankit Kalsi 105, Karun Nair 99, Ishan Kishan 50, Diwesh Pathania 4/55, Jalaj Saxena 3/57, Aniket Choudhary 2/69) and 297 for 6 declared in 88 overs (Karun Nair 166 not out, Ankit Kalsi 64, Jalaj Saxena 4/105, DG Pathania 2/53)

India Blue 255 all out in 83.2 overs (Ankit Bawne 121 not out, Anmolpreet Singh 56, Ruturaj Gaikwad 37, Avesh Khan 4/58, Jaydev Unadkat 3/52, Akshay Wakhare 3/32). Points: India Red: 3, India Blue: 1.

PCB appoints Ijaz Ahmed as Pakistan U19 head coach

 Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced the appointment of former batsman Ijaz Ahmed as the head coach of the U19 cricket team for three years. 

Ijaz had been coaching since 2009, serving as the head coach for Pakistan 'A' and U19 sides. He also took up the head coach's role with the national men's side in 2010 during his stint as an assistant coach.

Ijaz will also work very closely with the Pakistan U16 and Pakistan 'A' teams and will assume charge following the ACC U19 Asia Cup 2019, to be played in Colombo from September 5 to 14.

In a statement, Ijaz said: "I am thankful to the PCB for trusting me with the important responsibility of grooming and nurturing the future stars of Pakistan cricket."

"Junior cricket is a lifeline for any cricketing nation; as it sees talented youngsters graduate to senior cricket and carry forward the legacy of some of the greatest cricketers this proud nation has produced. I am excited with this opportunity and look forward to playing my part in what are exciting times for Pakistan cricket," he added.

Ijaz was chosen for the assignment following a robust recruitment process in which a number of high-profile and quality former international cricketers were interviewed by Wasim Khan and Mudassar Nazar.