All-rounder from South Africa sets significant record in ODI and joins Sachin Tendulkar's club

Rishabh Pant was unable to make the Indian squad for the ODI series against West Indies, so his focus is now on the Iranian Cup. He has been entrusted to captain the Rest of India team. The first match, scheduled for October 1st in Srinagar, will be played between Rest of India and the Ranji Trophy champion from Jammu and Kashmir for the 2025-26 season.

Pant will not only lead the team but also serve as the wicketkeeper. This means that after a long break, he will take on a leadership role in a first-class match.

Sarfaraz Khan has been named the vice-captain of the Rest of India team. Additionally, fast bowler Akash Dip has been included in the 15-man squad, although his participation is contingent on his health. Akash Dip last participated in a competition in February, representing Bengal in the Ranji Trophy semi-finals. Following this, he struggled with a lower back injury, which prevented him from playing the entire IPL 2026 season and also caused his absence from matches for India.

The Iranian Cup could offer an opportunity for his return to competitive cricket, but he must first undergo a medical examination.

Selectors have also included players who demonstrated outstanding performances in last season's Ranji tournament. Four batsmen who scored the most runs in the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy have been selected for the Rest of India. Aash Rasmaran scored 950 runs, Ayush Dosija scored 949, Sannat Sangwan scored 828, and Sudip Kumar Garami scored 797.

These four have secured spots in the 15-man squad. Batsman Shikhar Mohan from Jharkhand is also part of the team; he scored the most runs for Jharkhand in the previous Ranji season. Furthermore, he played innings of 85 and 52 runs in the recently concluded Duleep Trophy final.

Mukesh Kumar and Mukesh Choudhary will handle the batting line for Rest of India. Manav Sutar and Saransh Jain will be the primary options in the spin department. Anukul Roy has also joined the team, having made significant contributions to both batting and bowling in East Zone's victory in the Duleep Trophy.

Manav Sutar's recent performance has been impressive: he took 23 wickets in his first three Test matches, including one match with 10 wickets. He also scored 79 runs across four innings in batting. Saransh Jain debuted in international cricket in the second match against Sri Lanka in Colombo, where he took three wickets. His domestic cricket statistics are also strong: Jain took only 51 wickets over two Ranji seasons. He was also recently part of the Central Zone team in the Duleep Trophy.

Who will be the backup wicketkeeper alongside Pant?

Aryan Jual has been included in the squad as a backup wicketkeeper for Pant. This match is particularly important for Pant, as after missing the ODI series against West Indies, he will attempt to regain his form with red balls. Captaining the Rest of India team is also an added responsibility for him. The team includes several players who performed well in recent domestic tournaments.

The Iranian Cup is traditionally viewed as an important fixture before the start of the new Ranji season. After this match, the new Ranji Trophy season will commence on October 11th.

Rest of India squad: Rishabh Pant (Captain, Wicketkeeper), Sannat Sangwan, Shikhar Mohan, Sudip Garami, Sarfaraz Khan (Vice-Captain), Aash Rasmaran, Manav Sutar, Saransh Jain, Akash Dip*, Mukesh Kumar, Mukesh Choudhary, Aryan Jual (Wicketkeeper), Aryan Pandey, Anukul Roy, Ayush Dosija. *Akash Dip's selection will be based on his health condition.

India has taken a 2-0 lead in the three-match T20 series against Afghanistan. The third and final match is scheduled for September 17 (Thursday) at Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi. Following the securing of victory in the series, the probability of changes in the Indian team's squad increases.

15-year-old Vaivava Suryavanshi was not in India's starting lineup in the first two T20 matches. In the first match, Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma batted at the top order, and the Indian team retained the same starting six in the second match.

After the game, Shreyas Iyer stated that the team aims to give all players an opportunity to adapt to the field and conditions, as well as gain experience from practice matches. Therefore, there is a possibility of giving a chance to players who have been outside the squad so far, and some changes in the team combination may also occur.

Thus, the path is open for 'Baby Boss' to get a chance to play in the third T20 match. Previously, Vaivava demonstrated excellent performance in the T20 series against Zimbabwe, winning the 'Player of the Series' title with 151 runs. Despite this, he had to remain on the bench in the first two matches against Afghanistan.

Now all attention is focused on the match on September 17. If the team management decides to make changes, Vaivava may get his first chance to play an international T20 match in India.

Currently, Vaivava has scored 193 runs in 6 matches for India, with an average strike rate of 189.21, including two half-centuries. In these six games, Vaivava hit 16 fours and 14 sixes.

Experienced Zimbabwean player Brendan Taylor set a historic record during a match against Australia. In the first ODI held on Tuesday in Harare, Taylor surpassed a significant world record held by the great Indian player Sachin Tendulkar.

Taylor is now the player with the longest career in men's ODI cricket. His ODI career has reached 22 years and 146 days. Previously, this record belonged to Sachin Tendulkar, whose ODI career lasted 22 years and 91 days, meaning Taylor surpassed his record by approximately 55 days.

Brendan Taylor debuted for Zimbabwe in ODIs in 2004 and has since become one of the team's most reliable batsmen. At 40 years old, Taylor has scored 11 centuries in 207 ODI matches, which is a national record for Zimbabwe. Meanwhile, Sachin Tendulkar debuted in ODIs in 1989 and retired from the format in 2012, having a career of 22 years and 91 days.

Despite breaking the career longevity record, Sachin Tendulkar holds other major records in ODI cricket. He is the batsman who has scored the most runs in ODIs, with a total of 18,426. Furthermore, Sachin played 463 matches in this format, significantly more than Brendan Taylor.

Although Taylor set the record for the longest service period, Sachin Tendulkar retains the title of the batsman with the most runs scored in ODIs, and also holds the record for the number of matches played in this format.

Brendan Taylor's history is unique not only because of this record. His sporting career was full of ups and downs. Taylor initially announced his retirement from international cricket in 2021. However, in 2022, he was found guilty of violating the ICC anti-doping and anti-corruption code and received a three-year ban.

After completing this suspension period, Taylor returned to international cricket in 2025. Zimbabwe is preparing for the joint 2027 ODI World Cup with South Africa and Namibia, and Taylor decided to rejoin the team as part of this preparation.

On Tuesday in Harare, Australia won the draw and decided to bat first. This match was the first ODI between the two teams in Zimbabwe in the last 12 years. There is also an interesting connection: Australian captain Mitchell Marsh is among the three players who participated in the previous ODI against Zimbabwe in 2014 and are now playing in this match again after 12 years.